Pedagogical agent

Mabanza and de Wet define it as "a character enacted by a computer that interacts with the user in a socially engaging manner".

As computer animation progressed, it was adopted by educators to enhance computerized learning by including a lifelike interface between the program and the learner.

[5][6] Individualized pedagogical agents can be found across disciplines including medicine, math, law, language learning, automotive, and armed forces.

Pedagogical agents can be designed to assist the cognitive transfer to the learner, operating as artifacts or partners with collaborative role in learning.

[7] Extraneous cognitive load is the extra effort being exerted by an individual's working memory due to the way information is being presented.

Agents can reduce the perceived cognitive load by providing narration and personalization that can also promote a user's interest and motivation.

These agents are often designed to elicit and respond to affective actions from users through various modalities such as speech, facial expressions, and body gestures.

[19] They respond to the affective state of the given user, and make use of these modalities using a wide array of sensors incorporated into the design of the agent.

[20] Specifically in education and training applications, pedagogical agents are often designed to increasingly recognize when users or learners exhibit frustration, boredom, confusion, and states of flow.

[21] The added recognition in these agents is a step toward making them more emotionally intelligent, comforting and motivating the users as they interact.

[22][23] Recently a meta-analysis of such research found a negligible improvement in learning via pedagogical agents, suggesting more work needs to be done in the area to support any claims.