Remote Work System for High School Students

Jason Yeung, B.A.Sc.

Bertha Konstantinidis, B.Sc.

http://www.ryerson.ca/pebbles

Ryerson University350 Victoria StreetToronto, Ontario

Canada M5B 2K3

Agenda

1. Introduction/motivation

2. PEBBLES for elementary students

3. Needs analysis Questionnaire Wizard of Oz simulation

4. High school PEBBLES

5. Concluding remarks

Introduction

Videoconferencing technology is widespread but not used (e.g. ICQ, MSN Messenger)

Seems difficult to setup, unreliable Interface design does not promote use Videoconferencing has perceived advantages

over text or audio only (Hirsh, Sellen, & Brokopp, 2005) More social interaction Follow conversation More resources available for interaction

Presence

The sense of “being there” (Sheridan, 1992) “Perceptual illusion of non-mediation” (Lombard

& Ditton, 1997) Psychological and technological factors

determine sense of presence Communication needs only require optimum

(rather than maximum) technology

Videoconferencing and Education Majority of videoconferencing technology

designed for professional settings Limited development of videoconferencing

technology specifically for educational settings Assumed that students will use the technology

like professionals do

PEBBLES

Providing

Education

By

Bringing

Learning

Environments to

Students

PEBBLES

Targeted at elementary age students Promotes social interaction Aids re-integration into classroom Friendly industrial design Commercialized

Limitations of PEBBLES

Works well for elementary students, but not for high school students

Industrial design and limited functionality not suited for high school students Rotary schedule impacts size

and portability of system Emphasis on group projects

promotes communication with peers at and outside of school

Research Objectives

Understand current behaviour, needs, and work practices of high school students

Determine functionality and design to extend elementary school version

Produce high school version

Current Practices and Behaviours 24 high school students were surveyed 5 main tasks identified:

Notetaking (primary activity identified by 92%) Group work (1-2 group projects assigned per week) Class participation Delivering presentations Exams/tests

75% communicate through email/chat when doing group work

Goals/Functions of High School PEBBLES

Goals

Communication Group work

Minimize classroom disruptions

Research

Functions

Real-time audio/video Tools for collaborating Workspace separate from

communication space Smaller size

Framework

Purpose is to confirm our initial hypothesis Observed students while they were asked to learn about and

complete a task on video production during half-hour sessions

Results of Study

2 out of 3 students found system easy to use Not reluctant to work with student using system

Difficulty monitoring 2 screens simultaneously Poor audio and video quality Instant messenger distracting Confusion with application sharing

Implications for Design

Use better quality cameras and microphones Simpler procedure for application sharing Communication and workspace screens remain

separate Instant messaging removed

High School PEBBLESCarrying Handle

Hand/Attention-Getting Device

Communication Screen

High QualityControllable Camera

WorkspaceScreen/Tablet

Weight: 40 lbs. (20 kg) vs. 140 lbs. (60 kg)

Concluding Remarks

Retained PEBBLES’ functionality Added new features for high school students’

needs Next steps

Further field studies in actual high school classroom setting

Improve industrial design

Acknowledgements

NSERC #184220-01 Student study participants Bertha Konstantinidis, Danny Lee, Jennie Cross,

Imran Hasan, and Quan Zhang.

Q&A

Jason Yeung - jyeung@ryerson.caBertha Konstantinidis - bkonstan@ryerson.ca

http://www.ryerson.ca/pebbles