2. Recurring theme with TUIs
• Lots of potential benefits for learning:
• embodied cognition
• multiple external representations, dyna-linking
• improved collaboration
• more in Marshall, “Do tangible interfaces really
enhance learning?” (2007)
• But no empirical evidence of learning
gain (most studies rather report on
engagement)
2
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3. Our hypothesis
“Tangibles are neither activators nor inhibitors of
learning; rather, what makes a difference for the
learning performance is how the learning
activities make use of them.”
3
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4. Illustration: varying the type
of feedback
• Feedback: in the top 5 influences on learning
(Hattie, 2007)
• Immediate vs. delayed feedback: old debate in
education
• Process and task level feedback:
• process: the main process used to perform the task
• task: how well tasks are understood / performed
• General learning theory; does it hold for TUIs?
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5. Feedback in TUIs
• Task level
• Process level: if immediate, similar to dyna-
linking
• one of the often cited advantages of tangibles
• but, beware of the “manipulation temptation” (e.g. Do-
Lenh 2012)
• We study the impact of dyna-linking on the
learning performance in our TUI
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6. Our research questions
1. Is dyna-linking beneficial for learning in our TUI?
2. What is the impact of giving immediate feedback
vs. delayed feedback at the process level?
6
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7. Experiment
• Participants:
• 56 carpenter apprentices aged between 16 and 21
• 8 exercises with each of the 3 blocks
• completed the task in pair
• Conditions:
• coupling: immediate process-level feedback
• no-coupling: no process-level feedback
• Learning gain:
• 5-10 minutes pre-test and post-test
• on paper, matching pairs of <side,face> views with top
view
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10. Learning gain
• Positive overall learning gain
(post-test score – pre-test score)
• When conditions are separated, learning gain difference is only
significant for no-coupling
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11. Answer types analysis:
pre-test / post-test
Ratio between pre-test and post-test answer types
¬x¬y
Fewer mistakes
on the y-axis for
¬xy
no-coupling
x¬y
xy
0 0.375 0.75 1.125 1.5 1.875 2.25
11
Coupling No coupling
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12. Orthographic projections
z-axis
Face view Side view
Top view
Side view
x-axis y-axis
Top view y-axis
Face view
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14. Link between the treatment
and the post-test scores
• Correlation between the treatment performance
and the post-test:
• yes for no-coupling (r=0.65, t[13]=3.15, p<.001)
• no for coupling (r=0.35, t[12]=1.28, p>.05).
• No correlation between pre-test and treatment
performance
• This means that the condition had an effect on
the learning performance
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15. Behavioral differences
during treatment: time
• Coupling faster: 67 vs. 88 sec. per question in
average
• No-coupling waited longer before first move
(14 vs 8 sec.)
• No-coupling: movement speed is higher
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16. Diversity of paths
zone of correct
answer
no-coupling
coupling
starting point
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17. Our research questions were
1. Is dyna-linking beneficial for learning in our
TUI?
2. What is the impact of giving immediate
feedback at the process level vs. delayed
feedback?
17
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18. Summary of results
• Feedback differences at process level led to
impact at both process and task levels:
• process: dyna-linking encouraged participants to dive
into action
• task: no-coupling led to a better learning
• Many more details in the paper!
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19. Conclusions and outlook
• Tangibles can improve learning, but...
• ... tangibles by themselves don’t guarantee
learning
• When designing tangibles, important to know
the influence of the level of feedback and how
it is given
• Explore other factors/results from the learning
sciences and how they can be applied to the
design of TUIs
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21. Our hypothesis
“In the case of spatial reasoning, tangibles can
actually help learn better, because they allow
the learner to make a link between the 3D
physical object and its virtual 2D
representation(s).”
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22. Our research questions
1. Does it make a difference to have a
tangible object instead of a 3D
representation?
2. What is the impact on learning?
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23. Task
Find some edges in all 3 views
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25. Experiment
• Participants:
• 46 carpenter apprentices aged between 16 and 21
• 12 questions in total
• completed the task in pair
• Learning gain:
• 5-10 minutes pre-test and post-test on paper
• Conditions:
• token: the tangible object is a dummy object
that does not resemble the virtual one (10 pairs)
• block: the tangible object has the same
shape as the virtual one (13 pairs)
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27. Learning gain
• Significant
0.4
Z−score diff. between pre− and post−tests
improvement
overall (+20.8%
absolute gain)
• No significant diff. 0.2
●
between the two
0.0
conditions
• Improvement in
−0.2
block condition is a ●
bit larger (+22.8%
vs. +18.3%)
−0.4
n=13 n=10
block token
Condition
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28. Performance during treatment
During treatment,
students in the ●
10
block condition
Questions answered correctly
performed
significantly better
9
●
8
7
n=13 n=10
block token
Condition
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29. Specificity of the side view
15
15
15
# mistakes
Mistakes on elevation
Mistakes on side
Mistakes on plan
10
10
10
●
5
5
5
● ●
●
● ●
0
0
0
n=13 n=10 n=13 n=10 n=13 n=10
block token block token block token
Condition Condition Condition
front top side
Having the block helps especially with the side
view, i.e. the most difficult one
29
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30. Orthographic projections
z-axis
Face view Side view
Top view
Side view
x-axis y-axis
Top view y-axis
Face view
30
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32. Impact of the degree of symmetry
3.0
• No effect of the View
2.8
view Top
Front
Number of edges found correctly
• More symmetry
2.6
Side
planes leads to
2.4
lower performance
2.2
• Not on this graph,
but no interaction
2.0
effect between the
1.8
condition and the
degree of symmetry
1.6
0 1 3
Degree of symmetry
32
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33. Summary and conclusion
• Overall positive learning gain.
• Performance during treatment was higher in the block
condition, but the learning gain is not significantly
different.
• The tangible interface was able to help in particular on
the more difficult aspects of a question (side view).
• A higher degree of symmetry leads to a harder 3D
orientation.
• The design aspects of the TUI and can impact the
learning performance
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