Work in Progress: Giving Asynchronous Learning Platforms a Humanoid Head for Effective Communication with the Learners

Advancements in technologies for distance learning and teaching, in particular in asynchronous learning environments, have made the vision of learning "any time, anywhere" a reality. As by definition, in these environments, there is no simultaneous interaction between the instructors and the learners. Consequently, there is no reference person to convey relevant feedback or motivational prompts to the learners as is the case in the traditional or synchronous learning environments. In order to overcome this problem, we propose to integrate a flexible, animated, anthropomorphic HCI component that produces naturalistic mimics and audio output with lip synchronization. This approach aims at substituting the missing third person, in teacher-knowledge-learner triangle, typical in face-to-face settings. As opposed to many developments in this direction, this component is not context or content specific and once integrated into the learning environment; it can be activated at any level for real time interaction with the learners