Investigating the effect of a robotic tutor on learner perception of skill based feedback

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the effect of different embodiments on perception of a skill based feedback (a basic open learner model) with a robotic tutor. We describe a study with fifty-one 11-13 year old learners. Each learner carries out a geography based activity on a touch table. A real time model of the learner’s skill levels is built based on the learner’s interaction with the activity. We explore three conditions where the contents of this learner model is fed back to the learner with different levels of embodiment: (1) Full embodiment, where skill levels are presented and explained solely by a robot; (2) Mixed embodiment, where skill levels are presented on a screen with explanation by a robot; and (3) No embodiment, where skill levels and explanation are presented on a screen with no robot. The findings suggest that embodiment can increase enjoyment, understanding, and trust in explanations of an open learner model.