College of Computer and Information Sciences Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU)

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Abstract—This paper aimed to comparatively analyze two methods of Electronic Learning (E-learning), in which avatars were utilized as virtual lecturers, with a particular focus on measuring learnability and Experienced User Performance (EUP). Insight has been provided into Elearning motivations and guidelines within the area of edutainment. Research into the communication of educational materials has also been included to provide explanations into the different edutainment techniques and factors influencing E-leaning performance. An E-learning environment was designed and constructed based on pedagogical principles. Emphasis was placed on the significance of multimodal interaction metaphors, as a means of improving learning skills. An empirical study was conducted to compare two E-learning approaches: avatars as pedagogical agents and E-learning through edutainment. The study was divided into two experiments: learnability and EUP; of which, two groups were instructed to interact with the experimental platforms under two conditions: firsttime- use and frequent-use. The results of the experiments showed a statistical significance in favor of EUP in Elearning through edutainment.

Index Terms—edutainment, multimodal metaphors, avatars, learnability, experienced user performance (EUP)

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Cite: Mutlaq B. Alotaibi, "Multimodal Metaphors for Edutainment in ELearning Interfaces: A Usability Evaluation of Learnability and Experienced User Performance," Journal of Software vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 1412-1422, 2014.