Towards Embodied Conversational Agents for Reducing Oral Exam Anxiety in Extended Reality

TL;DR

This paper explores the use of embodied conversational agents in extended reality to help reduce oral exam anxiety by providing safe, adaptive rehearsal environments for students.

Contribution

It proposes a novel system integrating photorealistic ECAs with large language models for immersive exam preparation in XR environments.

Findings

Potential to improve student confidence and performance

Highlights technical and psychological challenges

Lays groundwork for future XR-based exam support systems

Abstract

Oral examinations are a prevalent but psychologically demanding form of assessment in higher education. Many students experience intense anxiety, which can impair cognitive performance and hinder academic success. This position paper explores the potential of embodied conversational agents (ECAs) in extended reality (XR) environments to support students preparing for oral exams. We propose a system concept that integrates photorealistic ECAs with real-time capable large language models (LLMs) to enable psychologically safe, adaptive, and repeatable rehearsal of oral examination scenarios. We also discuss the potential benefits and challenges of such an envisioned system.