Abstract
This study investigated how pedagogical conversational agents can facilitate learner-learner collaborative learning during a knowledge integration task. The study focused on how knowledge integration activity can be facilitated by using multiple Pedagogical Conversational Agents (PCAs). The current study investigated the effective design of the PCA using the modality such as using gaze gestures along with the verbal facilitation prompts. In a controlled experiment, dyads were accompanied by multiple PCAs programmed to facilitate explanation activities in a knowledge integrating task. Two eye-trackers were used to detect learning process of leaners who used different type of knowledge and perspective. The results show that learners who received facilitation from the PCAs about integrating different perspectives performed better on the task, and if they received gaze gestures, they tended to focus on the relationship of different knowledge as well. Additional results on eye-tracking analysis show that learners performed better when they focused at their partner ’s different knowledge after looking at the PCAs' gaze. These results provide new implications on designing learning support systems and shows how embodied information such as gaze gestures of PCAs may play an important role in collaborative learning.
