Title: Providing emotion awareness and affective feedback to virtualised collaborative learning scenarios

Authors: Michalis Feidakis; Santi Caballé; Thanasis Daradoumis; David Gañán Jiménez; Jordi Conesa

Addresses: Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of Aegean, Administration Building, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece ' Department of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunication, Open University of Catalonia, Rambla Poblenou, 15608018 Barcelona, Spain ' Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of Aegean, Administration Building, University Hill, 81100 Mytilene, Greece; Department of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunication, Open University of Catalonia, Rambla Poblenou, 15608018 Barcelona, Spain ' Department of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunication, Open University of Catalonia, Rambla Poblenou, 15608018 Barcelona, Spain ' Department of Computer Science, Multimedia and Telecommunication, Open University of Catalonia, Rambla Poblenou, 15608018 Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: The enrichment of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) systems with emotion awareness features (detect emotion patterns and respond affectively) opens a window towards an authentic social interaction and learning experience. In the current paper, we first review prominent emotion theories and models with respect to learning, detection techniques and affective feedback strategies, and then we present a system's design and implementation that provides collaborators with a usable, web tool for self-reporting of emotions. In response to the user's emotions, the system activates an animated, virtual assistant that employs expressive faces and synthesised speech to provide affective and task-based feedback. The specific tool was customised and adapted to the virtualised collaborative session (VCS) system for the needs of an experiment that we run in the Open University of Catalonia. The respective results and findings are presented and discussed.

Keywords: mood; affect; emotions; emotion awareness; self-reporting; affective feedback; emotion measurement; detection; affective computing; virtualised learning; computer supported collaborative learning; CSCL; emotcontrol; social interaction; learning experience; web tools; virtual assistant; animated assistant; facial expressions; speech synthesis; e-learning; electronic learning; online learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2014.060154

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2014 Vol.24 No.2, pp.141 - 167

Received: 05 Feb 2013
Accepted: 28 Jul 2013
Published online: 24 May 2014 *

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