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Touchy feely vectors: A compensatory design approach to support model‐based reasoning in developing country classrooms
Author(s) -
Karnam DurgaPrasad,
Agrawal Harshit,
Parte Pranay,
Ranjan Saurabh,
Borar Priyanka,
Kurup Prasanna Prakash,
Joel Amose Jebin,
Srinivasan Pattamadai Sankaran,
Suryawanshi Uddhav,
Sule Aniket,
Chandrasekharan Sanjay
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of computer assisted learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.583
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2729
pISSN - 0266-4909
DOI - 10.1111/jcal.12500
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , computer science , cognition , mathematics education , instructional design , test (biology) , multimedia , knowledge management , psychology , paleontology , neuroscience , biology
Educational technology designs in developing countries mostly focus on making knowledge resources widely available, through MOOCs, repositories and computer‐based tutoring. The use of digital media for cognitive augmentation, particularly interactive designs that help learners understand modelling topics in STEM, is underexplored. We report a 3‐year design study examining this potential in the Indian context, testing two iterations of an interactive system, Touchy‐Feely Vectors (TFV). The design supports learning vectors, a modelling topic pre‐university students struggle with. Virtual lesson‐plans were co‐designed with teachers to augment — but not replace — their existing practices, and to address classroom and resource constraints. Pre‐post testing of TFV‐1 (a computer‐based prototype) showed that it helped students develop a more integrated vector concept, and improved their reasoning. Field‐implementation of TFV‐2 (a textbook‐linked touch‐screen based design) in 6‐classrooms (3‐Control, N=135; 3‐Experimental, N=131) showed that it fostered cognitive engagement in average‐students and geometry‐algebra integration (model‐based reasoning) in good‐students. These results, along with a requirements analysis based on textbooks, indicate that the interaction possibilities supported by different representational media critically shape student reasoning. The study also illustrates a systematic approach to design and test digital media systems that support cognitive augmentation in developing countries.