9720395 Lester, James C. North Carolina State University Learning and Intelligent Systems: Animated Pedagogical Agent for Constructivist Learning Environments Constructivist learning environments facilitate discovery-based learning through creative problem-solving experiences. To do so, they should provide scaffolding in the form of highly contextualized problem-solving advice that is customized to each learner. Perhaps the most intriguing vehicle for providing such dynamically individualized scaffolding is the technology of animated pedagogical agents. Featured prominently in learning environments, they couple key feedback functionalities with a strong, lifelike visual presence. The objectives of the proposed research are two-fold:(1)Creating a new generation of intelligent constructivist learning environments with animated pedagogical agents; and(2)Providing a comprehensive, data-rich account of the cognitive processes and results of interacting with constructivist learning environments with animated pedagogical agents. Employing a broad array of quantitative and qualitative measure of learning, the large multidisciplinary research team is working closely with students and teachers in a local school system to conduct extensive empirical studies of learners' interactions with these environments. This work makes significant contributions to the growing body of research that blends technology,cognitive science,and learning and teaching. First,it creates a rich constructivist frame work for learning-by-designing that couples exploratory learning with strong scaffolded support. Second, by focusing on analyses of the cognitive changes that learners undergo,it identifies precisely which technologies and conditions contribute most to effective learning.Third, because it employs a participatory design process that facilitates the technology's incorporation into school settings in authentic ways,it is expected that it will have a direct and significant impact on classroom experience well into the 21st century.
