Publication
A sustainable research & development ecosystem for computer-supported collaborative learning with interactive tabletop displays
Matthias Siegfried Ehlenz; Niels Pinkwart; Ulrik Schroeder
PhD-Thesis, RWTH Aachen University 2023, RWTH Aachen University, 8/2023.
Abstract
Computer-supported learning processes are of consistently increasing importance for education. Considering innovative platforms, interactive tabletops provide distinct advantages: They introduce automated feedback, individualization capabilities, and interaction mechanics that enable self-regulated learning in computer-supported collaborative learning processes. They allow truly equal, simultaneous interaction. At the same time, the strengths of face-to-face communication of traditional group work are preserved. Additionally, the digitization of collaborative face-to-face learning opens new research opportunities by enabling the usage of methods from learning analytics and introducing innovative ways of multi-modal data collection. Still, we do not know much about the practical impact of interactive tabletops on the learning process and successful usage in education requires the tuning of content and media to fit each other. Previous promising technologies missed out on their potential by lacking content, research, and sustainable concepts.This dissertation aims to help overcome obstacles and thus enable interactive tabletops to have a positive impact on future education. Assisting developers and educators to implement open-source learning games, providing interdisciplinary research teams with methods and tools to produce highly configurable research prototypes and partake in open science, and enabling teachers to improve their students' learning by providing insights through the open learning analytics infrastructure: The Multi-Touch Learning Game (MTLG) ecosystem is intended to take a holistic approach on facilitating interactive tabletops for better learning experiences. This dissertation provides a systematic approach to the requirements of, research on and educational use of interactive tabletop systems. The MTLG ecosystem presents an integrated research and prototyping framework for collaborative learning with interactive tabletop displays. The components are the MTLG core and toolchain (fundamental building blocks for the rapid creation of capable research prototypes); the MTLG infrastructure (server-side components for connecting sessions across devices, managing users and more); the MTLG research components (supporting experimental setups). Considering scientific sustainability, this dissertation goes beyond technical aspects and slightly beyond the scope of this project. In an interdisciplinary effort a sustainable, science-driven proposal for a learning analytics metadata infrastructure has been developed. The overall evaluation is done in a three-fold approach: First, case studies are presented to show research in depth. Second, the broad applicability is shown by presenting learning applications of different scopes and subjects. Third, a technical prototype and a corresponding case study are presented to showcase the interplay of components. Conclusively, this dissertation presents a coherent ecosystem of software, methods, and infrastructure to research collaborative learning processes involving interactive tabletop displays, large multi-touch systems placed horizontally for face-to-face learning in groups.