Skip to main content

Task Performance vs. Learning Outcomes: A Study of a Tangible User Interface in the Classroom

  • Conference paper

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNPSE,volume 6383))

Abstract

Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) offer the potential to facilitate collaborative learning in new ways. This paper presents an empirical study that investigated the effects of a TUI in a classroom setting on task performance and learning outcomes. In the tangible condition, apprentices worked together around an interactive tabletop warehouse simulation using tangible inputs. In the paper condition, they performed the same activity with only paper and pens. Results showed that the tangible condition resulted in better task performance (more alternative solutions explored and better final solution) but did not affect learning outcomes, i.e. understanding of important concepts and applying them to a problem-solving question. We discuss reasons for this in terms of task structure and type, nature of tangible user interfaces and effective interaction requirements.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Ainsworth, S.: Deft: a conceptual framework for considering learning with multiple representations. Journal of Learning and Instruction (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Barnes, D., Todd, F.: Communication and learning in small groups. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bruner, J.S.: Toward a Theory of Instruction. Belknap Press, Cambridge (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Cao, X., Lindley, S.E., Helmes, J., Sellen, A.: Telling the whole story: anticipation, inspiration and reputation in a field deployment of telltable. In: CSCW 2010: Proceedings of the 2010 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work, pp. 251–260. ACM, New York (2010)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  5. Cohen, E.G.: Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for productive small groups. Review of Educational Research 64(1), 1–35 (1994)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  6. Dietz, P., Leigh, D.: Diamondtouch: A multi-user touch technology. In: ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2001), pp. 219–226 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Do-Lenh, S., Kaplan, F., Dillenbourg, P.: Paper-based concept map: the effects of tabletop on an expressive collaborative learning task. In: BCS HCI 2009: Proceedings of the 2009 British Computer Society Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Swinton, UK, pp. 149–158. British Computer Society (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Fernaeus, Y., Tholander, J.: Finding design qualities in a tangible programming space. In: CHI 2006: Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in computing systems, pp. 447–456. ACM Press, New York (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Ha, V., Inkpen, K.M., Mandryk, R.L., Whalen, T.: Direct intentions: the effects of input devices on collaboration around a tabletop display. In: First IEEE International Workshop on Horizontal Interactive Human-Computer Systems, TableTop 2006, p. 8 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Han, J.Y.: Low-cost multi-touch sensing through frustrated total internal reflection. In: Proceedings of the 18th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology, pp. 115–118 (2005) 1095054 115-118

    Google Scholar 

  11. Harris, A., Rick, J., Bonnett, V., Yuill, N., Fleck, R., Marshall, P., Rogers, Y.: Around the table: are multiple-touch surfaces better than single-touch for children’s collaborative interactions? In: CSCL 2009: Proceedings of the 9th international conference on Computer supported collaborative learning, pp. 335–344. International Society of the Learning Sciences (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Hornecker, E., Marshall, P., Dalton, N.S., Rogers, Y.: Collaboration and interference: awareness with mice or touch input. In: CSCW 2008: Proceedings of the ACM 2008 conference on Computer supported cooperative work, pp. 167–176 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Jermann, P., Zufferey, G., Dillenbourg, P.: Tinkering or sketching: Apprentices’ use of tangibles and drawings to solve design problems. In: Dillenbourg, P., Specht, M. (eds.) EC-TEL 2008. LNCS, vol. 5192, pp. 167–178. Springer, Heidelberg (2008)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  14. Khandelwal, M., Mazalek, A.: Teaching table: a tangible mentor for pre-k math education. In: TEI 2007: Proceedings of the 1st international conference on Tangible and embedded interaction, pp. 191–194. ACM, New York (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Manches, A., O’Malley, C., Benford, S.: Physical manipulation: evaluating the potential for tangible designs. In: TEI 2009: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Tangible and Embedded Interaction, pp. 77–84. ACM, New York (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Marshall, P., Hornecker, E., Morris, R., Sheep Dalton, N., Rogers, Y.: When the fingers do the talking: A study of group participation with varying constraints to a tabletop interface. In: 3rd IEEE International Workshop on Horizontal Interactive Human Computer Systems, TABLETOP 2008, pp. 33–40 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Müller-Tomfelde, C., Schremmer, C.: Touchers and mousers: commonalities and differences in co-located collaboration with multiple input devices. In: CHI 2008: Proceeding of the twenty-sixth annual SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 1149–1152 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Nacenta, M.A., Pinelle, D., Stuckel, D., Gutwin, C.: The effects of interaction technique on coordination in tabletop groupware. In: GI 2007: Proceedings of Graphics Interface 2007, pp. 191–198 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Piaget, J.: The future of developmental child psychology. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 3, 87–93 (1974)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Piper, A.M., Hollan, J.D.: Tabletop displays for small group study: affordances of paper and digital materials. In: CHI 2009: Proceedings of the 27th international conference on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 1227–1236. ACM, New York (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Piper, A.M., O’Brien, E., Morris, M.R., Winograd, T.: Sides: a cooperative tabletop computer game for social skills development. In: CSCW 2006: Proceedings of the 2006 20th anniversary conference on Computer supported cooperative work, pp. 1–10. ACM, New York (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Price, S., Rogers, Y.: Let’s get physical: the learning benefits of interacting in digitally augmented physical spaces. Comput. Educ. 43(1-2), 137–151 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Rekimoto, J.: Smartskin: an infrastructure for freehand manipulation on interactive surfaces. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2002), pp. 113–120 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Schneider, B., Jermann, P., Zufferey, G., Dillenbourg, P.: Benefits of a tangible interface for collaborative learning and interaction. In: IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, under revision

    Google Scholar 

  25. Slavin.: Cooperative learning: theory, research and practice, 2nd edn. Allyn & Bacon (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Stanton, D., Bayon, V., Neale, H., Ghali, A., Benford, S., Cobb, S., Ingram, R., O’Malley, C., Wilson, J., Pridmore, T.: Classroom collaboration in the design of tangible interfaces for storytelling. In: CHI 2001: Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 482–489. ACM, New York (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Stanton, D., Neale, H., Bayon, V.: Interfaces to support children’s co-present collaboration: multiple mice and tangible technologies. In: CSCL 2002: Proceedings of the Conference on Computer Support for Collaborative Learning, pp. 342–351. International Society of the Learning Sciences (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Ullmer, B., Ishii, H.: The metadesk: models and prototypes for tangible user interfaces. In: ACM Symposium on User interface Software and Technology (UIST 1997), pp. 223–232 (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Underkoffler, J., Ishii, H.: Illuminating light: a casual optics workbench. In: CHI 1999: CHI 1999 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 5–6. ACM, New York (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Wellner, P.: Interacting with paper on the digital desk. Communications of the ACM 36(7), 87–96 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Zuckerman, O., Arida, S., Resnick, M.: Extending tangible interfaces for education: digital montessori-inspired manipulatives. In: CHI 2005: Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 859–868. ACM Press, New York (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Zuckerman, O., Resnick, M.: System blocks: A physical interface for system dynamics simulation. In: Proceedings of CHI 2003 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Zufferey, G., Jermann, P., Do-Lenh, S., Dillenbourg, P.: Using augmentations as bridges from concrete to abstract representations. In: BCS HCI 2009: Proceedings of the 2009 British Computer Society Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Swinton, UK, pp. 130–139. British Computer Society (2009)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Do-Lenh, S., Jermann, P., Cuendet, S., Zufferey, G., Dillenbourg, P. (2010). Task Performance vs. Learning Outcomes: A Study of a Tangible User Interface in the Classroom. In: Wolpers, M., Kirschner, P.A., Scheffel, M., Lindstaedt, S., Dimitrova, V. (eds) Sustaining TEL: From Innovation to Learning and Practice. EC-TEL 2010. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 6383. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16020-2_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16020-2_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-16019-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-16020-2

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics