If you have ever considered using an Avatar or Virtual Teacher within your e-learning or tuition media consider no longer. Stanford University produced a research paper authored by Byron Reeves that proves the wide benefits and the positive effects of virtual representatives within rich media content. Research outlines all the benefits that virtual character can achieve. e-learning is the perfect environment to take advantage of the finding.

Entitled “The Benefits of Interactive Online Characters” it clearly outlines the advantages, I quote:” Automated characters take advantage of social responses that are natural reactions to interactive media. They can be perceived as realistic and well- liked social partners in conversations that simulate real-world interactions.” furthermore, ” Characters can increase the trust that users place in online experiences, in part because they make online experiences easier”. All educators know that if you make the experience easier, the ability to retain valuable information is enhanced.

It’s no accident that many e-learning providers incorporate visual stimulation, why? “because it works”! The media platform is of little consequence as long as the content is accessible and many software solutions exist to make the production of compelling tutorials and e-learning solutions a simple task, including: PowerPoint, Camtasia Studio, Articulate, Keynote, Lectora, Adobe Captivate, iSprint Presenter, OpenOffice Impress and Dryfork to name but a few. Virtual Tutors or Avatars software solutions that are compatible with these products on the other hand are harder to find.

An Avatar solution specifically designed for the e-learning or presentation task is AlterEgos, it was developed with e-learning in mind, allowing educators to get on with the creativity and inclusion of content and not technical know-how. AlterEgos comes ready with 53 male and female characters that automatically animate and lip-sync to the provided narration audio, and provides many customisation options including hundreds of backgrounds and clothing items.

AlterEgos offers a number of easily imported video formats including Flash FLV, Flash SWF and dear AVI. Additional tailoring is available due to the inclusion of hundreds of backgrounds and clothing items.

AlterEgos hits all the buttons when it comes to cost efficiency and flexibility. There are alternative Avatar tools available on the market but none seem to offer the peace of mind and comfort that AlterEgos offers. You have access to the final media file, there are no runtime fees and you can distribute on LAN, Web, CD and DVD, so the options are extensive.

e-learning is prevalent in many education sectors both commercial and otherwise, effective content delivery in these cases is paramount, together with flexibility, cost and quality. Using the Stanford Universities findings, incorporating an AlterEgos virtual teacher or avatar will offer measurable benefits in the short and long term.

At least now you can be comfortable in knowing that virtual teachers embedded within your e-learning solutions have provable benefits.

You can get a complete copy of the Stanford University research article by Byron Reeves entitled, ” The Benefits of Interactive Online Characters”, by visiting www.alteregos.com. (look at the bottom of the front page)

For a limited period you can also download a free trial edition here that works perfectly with most e-learning authoring solutions. Good Luck!