Virtual Agents in the Classroom: Experience Fielding a Co-presenter Agent in University Courses

摘要

The design of a conversational virtual agent that assists professors and students in giving in-class oral presentations is described, along with preliminary evaluation results. The life-sized agent is integrated with PowerPoint presentation software and can deliver presentations in conjunction with a human presenter using appropriate verbal and nonverbal behavior. Results from evaluation studies in two courses-business and professional speaking, and computer science research methods-indicate that the agent is widely accepted in the classroom by students, and can serve to increase engagement in presentations given both by professors and students.