A Pedagogical Agent Toolkit for K-12 Education Contexts

Abstract

With the advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and in particular Large Language Models (LLMs), increasing focus has been placed on the development of conversational agents across domains, including education. Within education research, pedagogical agents (PAs) have traditionally been designed by researchers, producing positive results when implemented in ways consistent with good pedagogical practice. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of PAs depends on the degree to which learners relate to their agents and perceive them as socially and behaviorally realistic. One way to accomplish this is to include end users in the PA design process. Authoring tools have lowered technical barriers, enabling novice designers to participate in educational technology design. Building upon this work, we introduce the Pedagogical Agent Toolkit (PATK), an extendable and modular toolkit with AI-based features with the purpose of expanding novice designer agency and opportunity in the creation and customization of PAs. This paper outlines the design principles, architecture, and features of the PATK.