Assessment of Stand-Alone Displays for Time Management in a Creativity-Driven Learning Environment

Abstract

This paper considers the pros and cons of stand-alone displays, analog (e.g. billboards, blackboards, whiteboards, large pieces of paper etc.) as well as digital (e.g. large shared screens, digital whiteboards or similar), as tools for time management processes in a creativity-driven learning environment. A qualitative study was conducted at the Medialogy education at Aalborg University Esbjerg to probe for attitudes towards time management tools in general and towards having these on a stand-alone display in the workspace of students working in groups on joint projects. Results show that students who use a stand-alone display primarily use an analog one, whereas students who use digital collaborative time management tools prefer to access these on their individual laptops. The students who express preference for analog displays emphasize the advantage of being able to switch to a different modality for in-group discussions, as well as the increased awareness of the time plan caused by such a display. While these advantages would also be advantages for a digital, interactive display, the disadvantages of analog displays listed by the students relate to the fragility of these displays compared to storing information digitally. The findings could indicate a possible market for stand-alone, interactive digital displays combining the ‘touch and feel’ character of an analog board with the convenience of digital data storage.