Teaching Skills with Virtual Humans: Lessons from the Development of the Thinking Head Whiteboard [Paperback]

This book highlights current research into virtual tutoring software and presents a case study of the design and application of a social tutor for children with autism. Best practice guidelines for developing software-based educational interventions are discussed, with a major emphasis on facilitating the generalisation of skills to contexts outside of the software itself, and on maintaining these skills over time. 

Further, the book presents the software solution Thinking Head Whiteboard, which provides a framework for families and educators to create unique educational activities utilising virtual character technology and customised to match learners needs and interests. In turn, the book describes the development and evaluation of a social tutor incorporating multiple life-like virtual humans, leading to an exploration of the lessons learned and recommendations for the future development of related technologies.
Introduction.- Why Use Virtual Tutors.- Designing Effective Teachers.- Designing for Specific Populations.- Existing Software Tutors.- Creating Engaging Embodied Conversational Agents.- Implementing a Social Tutor for Autism.- The Thinking Head Whiteboard.- Evaluating the Social Tutor.- The Future of Virtual Teachers.

Marissa Bond completed her PhD at Flinders University, where she focused on using virtual humans to help children with autism develop their social skills, an undertaking that combined her fascination with virtual humans and artificial intelligence with her love of teaching and education. She now looks after both the education and software development teams at Lumination, an Adelaide-based EduTech company. Marissa holds qualifications in primary school teaching and computer science, and has industry experience as a software developer, educator and science communicator. 

David Powers&aló'