Skip to Content
e-Learning and the Science of Instruction
book

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction

by Ruth C. Clark, Richard E. Mayer
March 2016
Beginner to intermediate
528 pages
12h 59m
English
Wiley
Content preview from e-Learning and the Science of Instruction

CHAPTER 9 Applying the Personalization and Embodiment Principles Use Conversational Style, Polite Wording, Human Voice, and Virtual Coaches

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Some e-learning lessons rely on a formal style of writing to present information, direct wording for feedback and advice, and machine synthesized voices to deliver the words. In this chapter we summarize the empirical evidence that supports the personalization principle—i.e., that people learn better when e-learning environments use a conversational style of writing or speaking (including using first- and second-person language), polite wording for feedback and advice, and a friendly human voice. We also explore preliminary evidence for how to use on-screen pedagogical agents, focusing on the role of human-like embodiment. In particular, the embodiment principle is that people learn better from online agents that use human-like gesture and movement.

Since the previous edition of this book, new evidence has emerged concerning the role of politeness in on-screen agents’ feedback and hints and the role of human-like gestures by the on-screen agent. Another important advance has been the establishment of boundary conditions which specify when the personalization principle is most likely to be effective–such as the finding that in some cases personalization works best for less experienced learners and when the amount of personalization is modest enough to not detract from the lesson.

The personalization and embodiment principles ...

Become an O’Reilly member and get unlimited access to this title plus top books and audiobooks from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers, thousands of courses curated by job role, 150+ live events each month,
and much more.

Read now

Unlock full access

More than 5,000 organizations count on O’Reilly

AirBnbBlueOriginElectronic ArtsHomeDepotNasdaqRakutenTata Consultancy Services

QuotationMarkO’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.
Julian F.
Head of Cybersecurity
QuotationMarkI wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.
Addison B.
Field Engineer
QuotationMarkI’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.
Amir M.
Data Platform Tech Lead
QuotationMarkI'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.
Mark W.
Embedded Software Engineer

You might also like

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction, 5th Edition

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction, 5th Edition

Ruth C. Clark, Richard E. Mayer

Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781119158660Purchase book