Design and Implementation of a Gesture-Aided E-Learning Platform

In gesture-aided learning (GAL), learners perform specific body gestures while rehearsing the associated learning content. Although this form of embodiment has been shown to benefit learning outcomes, it has not yet been incorporated into e-learning. This work presents a generic system design for an online GAL platform. It is comprised of five modules for planning, administering, and monitoring remote GAL lessons. To validate the proposed design, a reference implementation for word learning was demonstrated in a field test. 19 participants independently took a predefined online GAL lesson and rated their experience on the System Usability Scale and a supplemental questionnaire. To monitor the correct gesture execution, the reference implementation recorded the participants’ webcam feeds and uploaded them to the instructor for review. The results from the field test show that the reference implementation is capable of delivering an e-learning experience with GAL elements. Designers of e-learning platforms may use the proposed design to include GAL in their applications. Beyond its original purpose in education, the platform is also useful to collect and annotate gesture data.