This dissertation examines the affective qualities of non-player character motion in a Virtual Reality (VR) cognitive training game, their impact on players' core affective experiences, game performance, and cognitive training outcomes. How do the movements of game characters in a VR environment affect players' experienced emotions, gameplay…

The presence of Animated Pedagogical Agents (APAs) in education is increasing day-by-day. They are being used in online courses as well as research studies. Therefore, there is a need to study ways in which lectures can quickly be created using APAs. Gestures are an inseparable part of an APA's communication with users. Gestures generated…

This research examined how four different animated pedagogical agent implementations, which focus on perceptual and inquiry arousal conditions of attention as defined in Keller's ARCS model of motivational design (Keller, 2009), impact English language learners' situational interest, cognitive load, and reading comprehension in online readings…

Many people face the challenge of finding effective computer-based software instruction, including employees who must learn how to use software applications for their job and students of distance education classes. Therefore, it is important to conduct research on how computer-based multimedia software tutorials should be designed so they are as…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine how the use of multimedia components, such as graphics, audio and video, in online courses was related to perceived learner satisfaction and learning effectiveness. The use of retrospective data provided self reported perceived satisfaction measures and total score representing objective…

Humans rely heavily on their sense of vision and look at images in response to their need for information. People learn from didactic images within environments; for this reason, in traditional educational environments, educators tend to care about visual representation. As today's technology brings images to wider audiences with more diverse…

Digital character production courses have traditionally been taught in art departments. The digital character production course at the University of Utah is centered, drawing uniformly from art and engineering disciplines. Its design has evolved to include a synergy of computer science, functional art and human anatomy. It gives students an…

This study investigates an elective English class, in which students in grades 10-12 collectively read and collaboratively wrote fantasy fiction in four groups. The purpose of the class was to have students consider the choices fantasy and science fictions writers, directors, and video game designers make when creating a fictional world. The…

The current study evaluated the use of a manualized social skills program, Superheroes Social Skills, to increase the use of prosocial behaviors and decrease the use of aggressive behaviors for children with externalizing behaviors. The training was implemented by a school psychologist in a pullout group with four children with high-incidence…

The purpose of this study was to examine the instructional effectiveness of different levels of chunking (simple visual/text and complex visual/text), different forms of feedback (item-by-item feedback, end-of-test feedback and no feedback), and use of instructional gaming (game and no game) in complementing animated programmed instruction on a…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an animated agent that provides instructional scaffolding strategies via a story mnemonic or cuing question with feedback versus instructional scaffolding strategies alone on student achievement of different educational objectives in multimedia learning. Specifically, the study investigated…