A TRAVELLER’S TALE – CREATING AVATARS FOR THE WORLD OF ELEARNING
A TRAVELLER’S TALE – CREATING AVATARS FOR THE WORLD OF ELEARNING

Summary/Abstract: Will a virtual character give real character to your targeted eLearning experience? This paper focuses on the traits of the eLearning avatars and their potential to generate positive and lasting effects for users and eContent creators alike. The basic avatar, whether he acts like a virtual tutor or as an advisor, needs to act towards the successful fulfilment of the student's tasks on one hand and on the other hand towards delivering of a good and rewarding learning experience so that the student will enjoy the subject and return for another lesson. In order to achieve these two main tasks, the avatar should provide, as backbone, guidance, tips and appropriate feedback. Building a successful avatar, not just an avatar, is, in part, building a successful human replica. We will journey and assimilate, in a step-by-step fashion, new methods to give digital life and relevant reputation to the avatars of your educational materials. First, the basis for our soon to be superhero educational character: how humans acquire new friends in virtual space. The psychological aspects that govern such interactions will prove invaluable. Second, our focus will slightly move towards friend-human to friend-human communication. Next, a successful eLearning avatar should be much more than the guide of his lesson. That is why we will evolve him socially, breaking new ground in the process, away from the plain and tasteless lesson prisoners “the teacher”, “the pet”, “the young boy”, “the young girl”. Benefiting from the rise of the social networks, our virtual characters will be able to connect informally and much more effectively in the long term.

• Details
• Contents