ERIC Number: EJ1092304
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1541-4914
EISSN: N/A
Animated Agents Teaching Helping Skills in an Online Environment: A Pilot Study
Duggan, Molly H.; Adcock, Amy B.
Journal of Interactive Online Learning, v6 n1 p56-71 Spr 2007
Human service educators constantly struggle with how to best teach students the communication skills required of entry-level human service professionals. While teaching such skills is easier in a traditional face-to-face environment, teaching communication skills via distance learning presents its own challenges. Developing interactive web-based learning environments to teach helping skills may solve this dilemma. This article describes a pilot study of three web-based environments. The interactive environment assigns learners to serve as helpers while an animated agent portrays a client. A modeling environment has participants observing a client-helper interaction between two agents. The helper-client script environment presents a text-based script. Data collected to assess skill acquisition and usability indicate improvement in skills and positive user perceptions in all three environments.
Descriptors: Teaching Methods, Communication Skills, Distance Education, Technology Uses in Education, Web Based Instruction, Electronic Learning, Helping Relationship, Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Interaction, Scripts, Skill Development, Empathy, Human Services, Professional Personnel, Professional Education, Pretests Posttests, College Students, Vignettes, Attitude Measures, Student Attitudes, Likert Scales, Statistical Analysis, Online Courses
University of Alabama. 152 Rose Administration, P.O. Box 870104, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Web site: http://www.ncolr.org/jiol
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A