TITLE:
Conversational Agents in Distance Education: Comparing Mood States with Students’ Perception
AUTHORS:
Aliane Loureiro Krassmann, Fábio Josende Paz, Clóvis Silveira, Liane Margarida Rockenbach Tarouco, Magda Bercht
KEYWORDS:
Conversational Agents, Distance Education, Students’ Perception, Mood States, Affective Computing
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.9 No.11,
August
31,
2018
ABSTRACT: One of the advantages of a Conversational Agent is that it stimulates social presence among Distance Education students, providing continuous psychological and pedagogical support. However, the interaction between students and virtual agents is often functionally ineffective. In this regard, this study aims to investigate students’ mood states, inferred by chat log analysis of interactions between students and a Conversational Agent, relating such mood states with the students’ perceptions about the tool. The study was conducted with a sample of students attending a Distance Education post-graduation course. The results showed the relationship between interest, utility and satisfaction perceived by the students with mood states detected by the log analysis. Also, the underutilization of the Conversational Agents was diagnosed, and improvements to be implemented so that negative mood stateswhichcan be overcome were identified. The research brings contributions onbuilding better Conversational Agents for educational purposes.