Modeling Curiosity-Related Emotions for Virtual Peer Learners

With the advances in computer graphics, communication technologies and networking, virtual worlds are rapidly becoming part of the educational technology landscape [1]. Dede [2] suggests that the immersive interfaces offered by virtual worlds can promote learning, by enabling the design of educational experiences that are challenging or even impossible to duplicate in real world. In recent years, the usage of virtual worlds within the educational context is growing quickly. The New Media Consortium (NMC) Annual Survey on Second Life (SL) received 170% increase in response rate between 2007 and 2008. They also found that many of the educators who earlier used the existing SL, have started creating their own virtual worlds in less than a year's time [3].