Avatar Supported Learning in a Virtual University

Abstract

E-learning gains increasingly importance in academic education, and new opportunities emerge by the use of advanced avatar technology, specifically with the use of iBot2000 technology. The objectives of the paper are to study the options, extent and limitations of avatar technology for academic studies in under- and postgraduate courses. In recent years, Sir Tony, a worldwide acknowledged robot expert, creator of Star Wars' R2D2, has developed the iBot2000 technology. These are intelligent virtual robots adaptable to different environments with the availability to speak different languages providing logic answers to questions asked. This technology offers blended E-learning entering the field of the virtual 3-D university (Dyson. 2009). The data was mainly collected through interviews with Sir Tony Dyson supporting the discovery of the inventor’s view on such technology’s advantages within academic studies.