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Emma: an ARCS-based female animated pedagogical agent embedded in the SimQuest motion inquiry environment

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

Emma is a female animated pedagogical agent created by linking SimQuest with Elckerlyc and Loquendo, delivering audible motivational messages 2 s after an assignment opened and 1 s after it was answered. Her messages were based on Keller's ARCS model, addressing task relevance through goal orientation, motive matching and familiarity, and self-efficacy through learning requirements, opportunities for success and personal control. She had the role of a fellow student, with facial expressions and head movements attuned to her messages, and her behavior was hard-coded so reactions were the same for all participants.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • Messages delivered via headphones with 5 extra minutes of training time to compensate for listening

Constraints

  • Only Emma's face and a small part of her upper body were visible
  • Newly-constructed sentences sounded more monotonous than pre-programmed ones, a technical limitation the authors say may have diminished her impact

Target Learners

  • third-year secondary school students in the Netherlands

Learning Goals

  • motivation (task relevance and self-efficacy) during kinematics inquiry learning

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Hans van der Meij, Jan van der Meij, Ruth Harmsen. (2015). Animated pedagogical agents effects on enhancing student motivation and learning in a science inquiry learning environment. Education Tech Research Dev. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9378-5
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id emma-arcs-motivational-agent-motion
title Emma: an ARCS-based female animated pedagogical agent embedded in the SimQuest motion inquiry environment
description Emma is a female animated pedagogical agent created by linking SimQuest with Elckerlyc and Loquendo, delivering audible motivational messages 2 s after an assignment opened and 1 s after it was answered.
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-29
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — hans-van-der-meij-2015

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