This course is intended for anyone interested in avatars, especially avatar users, avatar designers, and organizational leaders that use avatars.
Through the course, you will come to understand what avatars truly are, recognize everyday digital and non-digital avatars, differentiate avatar-user relationships types, identify motivations for using avatars that do (or do not) reflect self-identity, differentiate important avatar attributes, avoid harmful stereotypes in avatar use, and harness the psychological power of avatars to influence users toward specific (non-evil) outcomes.
Rabindra (Robby) Ratan (Ph.D. USC, BA/MA Stanford U) is an Associate Professor and AT&T Scholar at Michigan State University's Department of Media and Information. Dr. Ratan conducts research within the field of media psychology, examining how interactive media environments (e.g., video games) and factors within them (e.g., avatars) influence meaningful outcomes (e.g., education, health). He has received multiple teaching awards, including the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award and MSU AT&T Instructional Technology Award, and was a Lilly Teaching Fellow. He experiments with new technologies and teaching approaches, including rapping and riding a skateboard during lectures.
