Tangible interfaces: when physical–virtual coupling may be detrimental to learning

Sébastien Cuendet,Patrick Jermann,Pierre Dillenbourg

doi:10.14236/ewic/hci2012.10

Abstract

Tangible user interfaces (TUIs) have been the focus of much attention recently in the HCI and learning communities. Although TUIs seem to intuitively offer potential to increase the learning experience, there have been questions about whether they actually impact learning positively. TUIs offer new ways of interactions and it is essential to understand how the design choices made for these new interactions affect learning. One element that is key in the learning process is how and when feedback is provided. In this article, we focus on the effect of co-located immediate process-level feedback on learning. We report the results of a study in which 56 participants used a TUI to complete tasks related to the training of spatial skills. Half of the students accomplished the tasks with immediate and co-located feedback from the system, while the other half of the students did not receive any feedback. Results show that participants who did not receive feedback manipulated less, reflected more, and in the end learned more than those who received feedback.

Highlights

Tangible User Interfaces are (TUIs) intuitively thought of as favoring learning, because they involve physical behaviors that accompany cognition, such as gesturing, physical movement and embodiment (Goldin-Meadow (2003); O’Malley & Stanton Fraser (2004))
While many studies reported a higher engagement when using TUIs (e.g. Price & Rogers (2004)), the few controlled experiments comparing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and TUIs have shown no difference between GUIs and TUIs in learning performance, according to Marshall (2007)
Since there is no reason to think that students in the coupling condition were naturally more prone to action, this suggests that the dyna-link between the tangible blocks and the virtual representations encouraged students to rapidly dive into action without much beforehand thinking, as if proceeding in a trial-and-error fashion

Summary

Introduction

Tangible User Interfaces are (TUIs) intuitively thought of as favoring learning, because they involve physical behaviors that accompany cognition, such as gesturing, physical movement and embodiment (Goldin-Meadow (2003); O’Malley & Stanton Fraser (2004)). Many questions have been raised about the actual impact of TUIs on learning and there is still a lack of formal research on their benefits in terms of learning outcomes. Price & Rogers (2004)), the few controlled experiments comparing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and TUIs have shown no difference between GUIs and TUIs in learning performance, according to Marshall (2007). The author questioned the real benefits of tangibles for learning, and suggested that more empirical investigation was needed to measure them

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