Designing and Learning With Pedagogical Agents: An Umbrella Review

Pedagogical agents are virtual characters that instructional designers include in learning environments to help students learn. Research in the area has flourished for thirty years, yet there are still critical questions about the efficacy of pedagogical agents for influencing learning and affect. As such, we conducted an umbrella review to synthesize the field. We located 17 systematic reviews or meta-analyses focused on the use of pedagogical agents in educational settings. We found that agents can have small positive effects on learning, motivation, and other affective variables. However, we still cannot say how one should design a pedagogical agent for any given educational context. We highlight the limitations of existing theory in the area, as well as existing reviews from a practical and methodological perspective, and highlight productive areas for future research.