Instructor Avatars and Virtual Learning: How Does Instructor Type and Gender Affect Student Perceptions and Learning Outcomes?

This study investigated the impact of instructor gender (male versus female), type (human versus avatar), and lesson difficulty (easy and difficult) on the usability, trust, engagement, and comprehension of a virtual learning platform system. The study utilized animation software to create virtual male and female instructors and embedded them into a university psychology lecture on memory. Comprehension was evaluated through the use of multiple-choice tests, while usability, trust, and engagement were measured using the System Usability Scale, Trust in Automation Scale, and Paas Mental Effort Scale questionnaires, respectively. The results indicated no causal effect between instructor gender or type on comprehension, usability, and engagement. However, the study did reveal a significant effect of lesson difficulty on trust in the instructor, such that trust in the instructor was significantly higher following the difficult lesson. Implications of these findings pertain to the educational design of virtual classrooms.