Adapting OCC theory for affect perception in educational software

Educational software has been the object of continuous research globally. It has been widely acknowledged that computer assisted applications, which are made for educational purposes can be very beneficial for the students. In order to do that, such software has to be structured in such a way as to be highly adaptive and individualised to the needs of each student. The latest findings in this field of research show that, one important aspect of students in such software applications is affect (Goleman 1995). As a result affective user modeling is becoming essential. This paper describes how the Ortony, Clore & Collins (1988) cognitive theory of emotions can be adapted in an educational game, in order to model students’ emotions while they learn. The system’s inferences about students’ emotions are used to adapt interaction to each individual student’s needs.