Animated pedagogical agents (APAs) are known to possess great potential in supporting learning because of their ability to simulate a real classroom learning environment. But research in this area has produced mixed results. The reason for this remains puzzling. This paper is written with two purposes: (1) to examine some recent research and…

Discussion of learner-centered design focuses on the development of switchEr, a specific learning environment changed to an intelligent learning environment by switching from one external representation (ER) to another. Topics include user-centered design; the role of artificial intelligence; and the development of effective educational computing…