APLeC 2010 - Adaptation and Personalization in e-b/Learning using Pedagogic Conversational Agents (APLeC 2010)

he benefits of the personalization and adaptation of computer applications to each user have been widely reported in recent decades. Educational applications are not an exception, both in e-learning, i.e. the use of electronic media to teach or assess, and b-learning (blended learning), i.e. to combine traditional face-to-face instruction with electronic media.
Pedagogic Conversational Agents (PCAs) can be defined as virtual characters, which can teach or be taught by students in a domain, and even to serve as learner companions to avoid the so-called isolation problem of computer-based education. PCAs can be animated, and may consist only of a face, or have a full body (embodied conversational agents).
Given that the educational application keeps a learner model, the PCA could use this to adapt the information presented to the user. It is therefore expected that the interaction will not only be more natural, but also more efficient, because it will be focused on the needs and preferences of each student.