| Effects of User Age on Smartphone and Tablet Use, Measured with an Eye-Tracker via Fixation Duration, Scan-Path Duration, and Saccades Proportion | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 3-14 | |
| Suleyman Al-Showarah; Naseer AL-Jawad; Harin Sellahewa | |||
| The design of user interfaces plays an important role in human computer
interaction, especially for smartphones and tablet devices. It is very
important to consider the interface design of smartphones for elderly people in
order for them to benefit from the variety applications on such devices. The
aim of this study is to investigate the effects of user age as well as screen
size on smartphone/tablet use. We evaluated the usability of smartphone
interfaces for three different age groups: elderly age group (60+ years),
middle age group (40-59 years) and younger age group (20-39 years). The
evaluation is performed using three different screen sizes of smartphone and
tablet devices: 3.2", 7", and 10.1" respectively. An eye-tracker device was
employed to obtain three metrics: fixation duration, scan-path duration, and
saccades amplitude. Two hypothesis were considered. First, elderly users will
have both local and global processing difficulties on smartphone/tablet use
than other age groups. Second, all user age groups will be influnced by screen
sizes; small screen size will have smaller saccades proportion indicating
uneasy interface browsing compared to large screen size. All these results have
been statistically evaluated using 2-way ANOVA. Keywords: Smartphone interfaces; elderly people; eye tracking; mobile computing; human
computer interaction; interfaces evaluation; usability of smart phone | |||
| LifeSpeeder | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 15-25 | |
| Pedro J. S. Cardoso; Jânio Monteiro; José dos Santos; Natália Baeza; Sérgio Tarazona | |||
| The use of smartphones and tablets as become almost banal in these days.
Smartphones, besides serving their main purpose of making and receiving calls,
come to be one of the main equipments to obtain information from the Internet,
using the commonly installed browsers or through the use of dedicated
applications. Furthermore, several other devices are also very frequent to the
majority of the modern smartphones and tablets in the market (e.g., GPS --
Global Positioning System). This devices give the current systems a very high
potential of usage.
One example of applicability, comes from the wish to find and navigate to events or activities which are or will soon be occurring near the user. The LifeSpeeder platform is one of the first applications in the mobile equipment market of applications which take into consideration exactly what we have just outlined, i.e., a mobile and desktop application which allows the users to locate events according with their preferences and to get help navigating to them. In this paper we briefly describe the LifeSpeeder's front and back-end. Keywords: Geographic and Temporal Location of Events; Android; NoSQL Databases | |||
| Elders Using Smartphones -- A Set of Research Based Heuristic Guidelines for Designers | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 26-37 | |
| Stefan Carmien; Ainara Garzo Manzanares | |||
| Smartphones and an increasingly aged population are two highly visible
emergent attributes in the last decade. Smartphones are becoming the canonical
front end for the cloud, web, and applications from email to social media --
especially so if you include pads in the same category. In Europe, the Americas
and Asia the ratio of over those over 65 compared to the total population that
is becoming increasingly skewed. This paper is about the intersection of these
two socio-technical vectors, or more to the point about the mismatch between
them: a mismatch which can lead to an increase in the digital divide rather
than the decline that the more affordable smartphones could promise. We present
a study of literature and results of a design process in the form of heuristics
to support smartphone/tablet designers making useable and useful products for
elder end-users. Keywords: Smartphone; Small touch screens; Older adults; Heuristics; GUI design
guidelines | |||
| VIC -- An Interactive Video System for Dynamic Visualization in Web and Mobile Platforms | | BIBA | Full-Text | 38-49 | |
| Benjamim Fonseca; Hugo Paredes; Paulo Martins; André Alberto; José Rego; Leonel Morgado; Arnaldo Santos | |||
| This paper presents an interactive video system that enables users to change the flow of video playback by interacting with hotspots that were predefined throughout the video streams. These hotspots are synchronized with the underlying video streams and the interactions result in smooth transitions between the preloaded targets. This approach allows the dynamic visualization of content by interacting with the hotspots and producing the consequent changes in the flow of the story. The system includes web-based and mobile video players specifically developed to deal with the interactive features, as well as a configuration tool that allows content managers to choose which pre-produced interaction possibilities will be used for a specific target audience. The interactive video solution presented herein has potential to be used as a powerful communication tool, in commercial, e-learning, accessibility and entertainment contexts. | |||
| Implementing GPII/Cloud4All Support for Mobile Accessibility for Android | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 50-57 | |
| Ferran Gállego | |||
| Mobile Accessibility for Android is a combination of a suite of accessible
apps and a screen reader which provide accessibility on Android devices for
blind and visually impaired users. Main functionality of Android devices is
made available to the user through Mobile Accessibility's voice and Braille
based UI. This paper describes the process of integrating this commercial
product with GPII/Cloud4All online architecture, providing auto-configuration
based on user's online profile and NFC user identification. Keywords: Access to mobile interaction; Cloud4All; GPII | |||
| The GPII on Smart Phones: Android | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 58-67 | |
| Javier Hernández Antúnez | |||
| The focus of this presentation is to go through all the aspects that are
being covered during the works on the implementation of the Global Public
Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) [1] on Smart Phones, the scope, the status of
the current implementation and upcoming developments where the Cloud4all [2]
project is working on.
Since The Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure aims to become an international standard, one of the biggest challenges of the GPII project is to support all those devices that are using, and will use in the future, the technologies around the Smart Phones. This initial implementation is coming from the Cloud4all project, which has bet on the Android platform to demonstrate the features that the GPII will offer to us on every device that could run Android on it, either a Smart Phone, or Tablet, or DigitialTV, etc, and will serve as inspiration for future implementations on other Smart Phone platforms such as the popular iOS and Windows Phone, or the emerging Firefox OS, Tizen or Ubuntu Touch. Keywords: Accessibility; Internet Access; Health; Social inclusion; Cloud; Mobility | |||
| Effects of Interaction Style and Screen Size on Touchscreen Text Entry Performance: An Empirical Research | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 68-79 | |
| Sandi Ljubic; Vlado Glavinic; Mihael Kukec | |||
| In this paper we investigate text entry performance for mobile touchscreen
devices with emulated QWERTY keyboards, with special emphasis on interaction
style and screen size. When addressing interaction style, we are referring to
the five most common combinations of hands postures and device orientations
while executing text entry tasks. Both single-finger and two-thumb methods for
typing in portrait and/or landscape layout are considered. As for screen sizes,
several classes of popular mobile devices are examined, specifically
smartphones and tablets with smaller and larger form factor. In addition, the
mobile device emulator is included in the study, in order to report the
comparative analysis of text entry with an actual device and its
emulation-based counterpart. The touchscreen desktop monitor was used so as to
provide touch input for the device emulator. Results obtained from experimental
testing, supported by thorough data analysis, provide a valuable insight into
the user behavior when typing on touchscreens. Keywords: text entry; interaction style; screen size; touchscreens; mobile devices | |||
| An Experimental Approach in Conceptualizing Typographic Signals of Documents by Eight-Dot and Six-Dot Braille Code | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 83-92 | |
| Vassilios Argyropoulos; Aineias Martos; Georgios Kouroupetroglou; Sofia Chamonikolaou; Magda Nikolaraizi | |||
| The main research aim of the present study focuses on issues of reading
comprehension, when users with blindness receive typographic meta-data by touch
through a braille display. Levels of reading comprehension are investigated by
the use of 6-dot and 8-dot braille code in matched texts for the cases of bold
and italic meta-data. The results indicated a slight superiority of the 8-dot
braille code in reading time and scorings. The discussion considered the
practical implications of the findings such as issues regarding education as
well as the development of suitable design of tactile rendition of typographic
signals through 6-dot or 8-dot braille code in favor of better perception and
comprehension. Keywords: typographic signals; 6-dot braille; 8-dot braille; braille display;
blindness; document accessibility; assistive technology | |||
| Document Transformation Infrastructure | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 93-100 | |
| Lars Ballieu Christensen; Amrish Chourasia | |||
| Many people face barriers to accessing textual information due to visual,
reading or language limitations. They need alternative formats to text such as
Braille or audio. However, producing accessible formats is often expensive,
time consuming, and requires special expertise and training. RoboBraille offers
a cost-effective and timely manner to accessible material production. It
provides fully automated conversion of text into a number of alternative
formats, including mp3 files, Daisy full text/full audio, e-books or Braille
books. As part of Prosperity4all project, RoboBraille will be adapted to fit
into the overall technical architecture of the Global Public Inclusive
Infrastructure (GPII), and interfaces for new conversion capabilities such as
semantic structure recognition, text-to-sign language and language-to-language
translation will be added. Keywords: Accessibility; Document Transformation; Braille; e-books | |||
| Accessible Metadata Generation | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 101-110 | |
| Anastasia Cheetham; Dana Ayotte; Jonathan Hung; Joanna Vass; Colin Clark; Jess Mitchell; Jutta Treviranus | |||
| This paper outlines a strategy and suite of tools for creating more
accessible and personalizable web content by supporting the creation of
accessibility metadata. The tools showcased below allow content creators to
easily generate metadata at the point of creation, reducing the cost and
complexity of producing and delivering content that can be tailored to a user's
needs and preferences.
This work follows the AccessForAll approach, which focuses on meeting individual user's needs by matching those needs to appropriate content [1]. This level of personalization depends upon both the availability of infrastructure that can deliver alternative and adapted versions, and on the availability of content with accessibility metadata that can be used in the matchmaking process. Keywords: Metadata; personalization; user needs and preferences; authoring; matching;
AccessForAll | |||
| EAR-Math: Evaluation of Audio Rendered Mathematics | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 111-120 | |
| Hernisa Kacorri; Paraskevi Riga; Georgios Kouroupetroglou | |||
| Audio rendering of mathematical expressions has accessibility benefits for
people with visual impairment. Seeking a systematic way to measure
participants' perception of the rendered formulae with audio cues, we
investigate the design of performance metrics to capture the distance between
reference and perceived math expressions. We propose EAR-Math, a methodological
approach for user-based evaluation of math rendering against a baseline.
EAR-Math measures systems' performance using three fine-grained error rates
based on the structural elements, arithmetic operators, numbers and identifiers
in a formula. The proposed methodology and metrics were successfully applied in
a pilot study, where 5 sighted and 2 blind participants evaluated 39 stimuli
rendered by MathPlayer in Greek. In the obtained results, we observed that
structural elements had the highest mean and variance of errors, which improved
from 18% in the first attempt to 10% and 7% in two following attempts. Keywords: mathematics; audio rendering; visually impaired; blind; evaluation; user
study | |||
| Riemann Geometric Color-Weak Compensation for Individual Observers | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 121-131 | |
| Takanori Kojima; Rika Mochizuki; Reiner Lenz; Jinhui Chao | |||
| We extend a method for color weak compensation based on the criterion of
preservation of subjective color differences between color normal and color
weak observers presented in [2]. We introduce a new algorithm for color weak
compensation using local affine maps between color spaces of color normal and
color weak observers. We show how to estimate the local affine map and how to
determine correspondences between the origins of local coordinates in color
spaces of color normal and color weak observers. We also describe a new
database of measured color discrimination threshold data. The new measurements
are obtained at different lightness levels in CIELUV space. They are measured
for color normal and color weak observers. The algorithms are implemented and
evaluated using the Semantic Differential method. Keywords: Universal Design; Color-barrier-free Technology; Color-weak Compensation;
Riemann geometry | |||
| Effect of the Color Tablet Computer's Polarity and Character Size on Legibility | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 132-143 | |
| Hsuan Lin; Wei Lin; Wang-Chin Tsai; Yune-Yu Cheng; Fong-Gong Wu | |||
| This study aimed to explore how different polarities and character sizes on
tablet e-readers affect users' legibility and visual fatigue. Following the
experimental method, 30 participants were required to search for the target
words in pseudo-texts; meanwhile, the experimental data were connected to an
exclusive database through the Internet. Thus, the participants' search times,
accuracy rates, and visual fatigue levels could be analyzed. As indicated by
the analytic result, all the four kinds of character size affected search time.
Specifically, the 8-pt target words on a 10.1-inch screen had the slowest
search speed. As character size increased to 12 pt, search speed became
significantly faster. Besides, the interaction between polarity and character
size had a significant effect on the accuracy rate of searched target words.
This study showed that as a character size increased, polarity produced a
higher accuracy rate, and that negative polarity had a more significant effect
than positive polarity. Under positive polarity, 8 pt had the lowest accuracy
rate, and 10 pt had the next lowest accuracy rate. However, after the character
size was increased to 12 pt or above, the accuracy rate was not promoted.
Moreover, a larger character size produced a higher accuracy rate. Therefore,
12 pt and 14 pt got the best performance. As for visual fatigue, a small
character size was the main factor. The findings of this study can be used in
the design of tablet e-readers. Keywords: tablet computer; legibility; visual fatigue; character size | |||
| A Proposal for an Automated Method to Produce Embossed Graphics for Blind Persons | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 144-153 | |
| Kazunori Minatani | |||
| The aim of this paper is to provide examples illustrating the conditions for
effectively functionalizing the "method of converting graphics into a form that
can be perceived using senses other than sight" in the field of HCI.
Specifically, it is shown that advantages that method are fully achieved with
the implementation of a prototype embossed graphics output function for the
statistical analysis software R. In attempting to generate automated tactile
graphics from the output of any kind of graphics software, the strategy
described below will be useful: a. To investigate whether the intermediate
graphics format used in the relevant software consists of primitive vector
format drawing commands and character printing commands that handle characters
as codes, and b. If the latter conditions are fulfilled, to perform conversion
to tactile graphics at the stage of graphics data expressed as that
intermediate format. Keywords: blind person; embossed graphics; vector format | |||
| Usability Evaluation of a Web System for Spatially Oriented Audio Descriptions of Images Addressed to Visually Impaired People | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 154-165 | |
| José Monserrat Neto; André P. Freire; Sabrina S. Souto; Ramon S. Abílio | |||
| This paper describes a web system designed to provide spatially oriented
audio descriptions of an image for visually impaired users. The system uses a
hardware-independent platform of the technique of multimodal presentation of
images. Visually impaired users interact with an image displayed on the screen
while moving the cursor -- with a mouse or a tablet (pen or finger touch) --
and listening to the audio description of previously marked areas within the
image. The paper also describes the usability evaluation performed with five
participants and its main results. Generally, the five participants
accomplished the usability test tasks and could better understand the image
displayed. The paper also describes the main findings and discusses some
implications for design, suggesting some improvements. Keywords: Spacial orientation; audio descriptions | |||
| Emotional Prosodic Model Evaluation for Greek Expressive Text-to-Speech Synthesis | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 166-174 | |
| Dimitrios Tsonos; Pepi Stavropoulou; Georgios Kouroupetroglou; Despina Deligiorgi; Nikolaos Papatheodorou | |||
| In this study we introduce a novel experimental approach towards the
evaluation of emotional prosodic models in Expressive Speech Synthesis. It is
based on the dimensional emotion expressivity and adopts the Self-Assessment
Manikin Test. We applied this experimental approach to evaluate an emotional
prosodic model for Greek expressive Text-to-Speech synthesis. We used two
pseudo-sentences for each of the Greek and English HMM-based synthetic voices,
implemented in the MARY TtS platform. Fifteen native Greek participants were
asked to assess eleven emotional states for each sentence. The results show
that the "Arousal" dimension is perceived as intended, followed by the
"Pleasure" and "Dominance" dimensions' ratings. These preliminary findings are
consistent with the results in previous studies. Keywords: Expressive Speech Synthesis; prosody evaluation; Text-to-Speech; emotional
state | |||
| Eye Tracking on a Paper Survey: Implications for Design | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 175-182 | |
| Lauren Walton; Jennifer C. Romano Bergstrom; David Charles Hawkins; Christine Pierce | |||
| Asking respondents to record their activity in a diary can be a difficult
task due to retrospective reporting and cognitive burden as well as the
complexity of the data collection tool. Diary questionnaires typically require
multiple pieces of information including demographics, activities, and duration
over a data collection period. Like other questionnaire types, visual design
principles can be used to help people perceive and understand what is being
asked of them during diary measurement. Eye tracking, a technology that allows
us to passively study people's eye movements, has been used mostly for
questionnaire testing within the survey research field. This study focuses on
using eye tracking and other user experience measures to analyze how
respondents perceive, understand and experience different designs of the paper
Nielsen TV Diary. We used eye tracking to gain insights into visual elements
that draw attention, the amount of text that respondents read (e.g.,
terms/instructions), and how respondents complete the survey. This paper
centers on the collecting and analyzing of qualitative and quantitative
measures of the user experience, including eye-tracking data (e.g., fixation
count, time to fixate), participants' verbalizations, self-reported
satisfaction, and performance data (e.g., accuracy, steps to complete). We also
provide recommendations about the design of the paper diary based on the user
experience and eye-tracking results. Keywords: Eye tracking; survey; diary; visual design; usability | |||
| Can Evaluation Patterns Enable End Users to Evaluate the Quality of an e-learning System? An Exploratory Study | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 185-196 | |
| Carmelo Ardito; Rosa Lanzilotti; Marcin Sikorski; Igor Garnik | |||
| This paper presents the results of an exploratory study whose main aim is to
verify if the Pattern-Based (PB) inspection technique enables end users to
perform reliable evaluation of e-learning systems in real work-related
settings. The study involved 13 Polish and Italian participants, who did not
have an HCI background, but used e-learning platforms for didactic and/or
administrative purposes. The study revealed that the participants were able to
effectively and efficiently apply the PB inspection technique with minimum
effort. However, in some cases, participants complained that, in some cases,
the technique appeared time demanding. This work provides some valuable
suggestions to redesign the evaluation tools of the PB technique, in order to
improve the focus on specific elements of the e-learning system and to
streamline better the evaluation process. Keywords: usability; inspection technique; exploratory study | |||
| Computer-Based Cognitive Training in Adults with Down's Syndrome | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 197-208 | |
| Stefania Bargagna; Margherita Bozza; Maria Claudia Buzzi; Marina Buzzi; Elena Doccini; Erico Perrone | |||
| Adults with Down Syndrome show a clear genetic susceptibility to developing
Alzheimer's Disease, the most common cause of dementia worldwide. In this paper
we describe a set of computer-based exercises designed for cognitive training
of adults with Down Syndrome. The aim is to provide tele-rehabilitation via a
Web application that can be used at home to create an enriched environment.
Each exercise is presented as a game with images, text and vocal communication.
The user moves forward at increasing levels of difficulty according to previous
positive percentage thresholds. Performance data is centrally collected and
available to the tutor to check progress and better define the training.
Several categories of exercises are needed to train different abilities:
attention, memory, visual-spatial orientation, temporal orientation,
pre-logical and logical operations, perception, visual analysis, language, and
data relevance. At this time, two modules have been implemented for exercising
attention and memory. Keywords: Training software; tele-rehabilitation; Down Syndrome; dementia;
accessibility; learning games | |||
| An Analytic Tool for Assessing Learning in Children with Autism | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 209-220 | |
| Valentina Bartalesi; Maria Claudia Buzzi; Marina Buzzi; Barbara Leporini; Caterina Senette | |||
| One approach for teaching subjects with autism is Applied Behavior Analysis
(ABA). ABA intervention aims to model human behavior by observing, analyzing
and modifying antecedents and/or consequences of a target behavior in the
environment. To achieve this, many data are recorded during each trial, such as
subject response (correct/incorrect, level of prompt, inappropriate behavior,
etc.). In this paper we present a web application that aggregates and
visualizes data collected during technology-enhanced educational sessions, in
order to monitor learning in children with autism. In a previous study we
developed a free open source web application called ABCD SW, to support
educators in administering ABA programs. In this study we present a learning
analytic tool that retrieves, aggregates and shows -- in graphical and table
form -- data gathered by ABCD SW. This software offers accurate real-time
monitoring of children's learning, allowing teachers to analyze the collected
data more rapidly, and to accurately tune and personalize the intervention for
each child. Keywords: Learning Analytic tool; Data Analysis; web application; Autism; ABA | |||
| Towards Improving the e-learning Experience for Deaf Students: e-LUX | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 221-232 | |
| Fabrizio Borgia; Claudia S. Bianchini; Maria De Marsico | |||
| Deaf people are more heavily affected by the digital divide than many would
expect. Moreover, most accessibility guidelines addressing their needs just
deal with captioning and audio-content transcription. However, this approach to
the problem does not consider that deaf people have big troubles with vocal
languages, even in their written form. At present, only a few organizations,
like W3C, produced guidelines dealing with one of their most distinctive
expressions: Sign Language (SL). SL is, in fact, the visual-gestural language
used by many deaf people to communicate with each other. The present work aims
at supporting e-learning user experience (e-LUX) for these specific users by
enhancing the accessibility of content and container services. In particular,
we propose preliminary solutions to tailor activities which can be more
fruitful when performed in one's own "native" language, which for most deaf
people, especially younger ones, is represented by national SL. Keywords: Deaf needs; Sign Language; SignWriting; User Experience; e-learning | |||
| Medium for Children's Creativity: A Case Study of Artifact's Influence | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 233-244 | |
| Nanna Borum; Kasper Kristensen; Eva Petersson Brooks; Anthony Lewis Brooks | |||
| This paper reports on an exploratory study that investigates 16 elementary
school children's interaction with two different mediums for creativity,
LEGO® bricks and paper collages, drawing on the previous creativity
assessment test carried out by Amabile [1]. The study is based in a playful
learning theoretical framework that is reflected in the means for analyzing the
video material inspired by Price, Rogers, Scaife, Stanton and Neale [2]. The
findings showed that the children explored the two mediums to the same degree,
but that they were more structured in their planning and division on labor when
working with LEGO bricks. It was also evident that the children assigned
preconceived affordances to the two mediums. The results from this study should
feed into to a technology enhanced playful learning environment and these are
the initial steps in the design process. Keywords: Creativity; Playful Learning; Play; Artifacts; Technology Enhanced Learning | |||
| Action Research to Generate Requirements for a Computational Environment Supporting Bilingual Literacy of Deaf Children | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 245-253 | |
| Juliana Bueno; Laura Sánchez García | |||
| Having as premises the user-centered design and the necessity for a greater
knowledge about the real context of teaching and learning a second language to
Deaf children, this study makes use of action research to get requirements for
the conceptual model of a computational environment supporting bilingual
literacy of Deaf children. This paper describes the activities of a particular
action research process, together with its stages, performed with four Deaf
children within a Brazilian public bilingual school. The process lasted three
months and achieved the following results: a significant improvement in the
interest of participating children in written Portuguese -- qualitative,
measured by their motivation in not stopping their learning process -- and a
set of functional and non functional requirements for the conceptual model to
be developed. Keywords: Action-research; user-centered design; deaf children; requirements | |||
| Early Interaction Experiences of Deaf Children and Teachers with the OLPC Educational Laptop | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 254-264 | |
| Maíra Codo Canal; Juliana Bueno; Laura Sánchez García; Leonelo D. A. Almeida; Alessio, Jr. Miranda | |||
| The adoption of computing technologies in the schools has the potential for
supporting the digital and social inclusion. However, whether such technologies
are not accessible they can deepen the exclusion of students with disabilities,
and other minorities. This work investigated questions regarding the use of the
laptops from OLPC by deaf children between 7 and 12 years old and by teachers
from a bilingual school. The results indicate that children were excited due
the use of the device; even they behaved reticent during the interaction. The
study also identified interaction problems regarding both hardware and software
in the use of the laptop. Keywords: Accessibility; XO laptop; computer-based learning; deaf children; OLPC | |||
| Research on Accessibility of Question Modalities Used in Computer-Based Assessment (CBA) for Deaf Education | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 265-276 | |
| Maíra Codo Canal; Laura Sánchez García | |||
| Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are increasingly being used for several
purposes and audiences worldwide. VLEs are often used for communication with
peers and with teachers, for sharing and collaborating on assignments and for
assessments. Although the ultimate goal of distance learning is to make
education available to anyone anywhere and at anytime, this goal cannot be
accomplished unless VLEs are designed to be accessible to all potential
students, including those with disabilities. In this paper, we investigated the
accessibility of some question types (e.g. multiple choice, essay) used in
Computer-based Assessment (CBA) in the Moodle platform, focusing on deaf
students. Evaluation results indicate problems related to the use of videos,
images, texts and customization for users. We also propose some design
solutions for those problems. Keywords: Computer-based assessment; deaf students; virtual learning environments | |||
| Assessing Group Composition in e-learning According to Vygotskij's Zone of Proximal Development | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 277-288 | |
| Maria De Marsico; Andrea Sterbini; Marco Temperini | |||
| In this paper we build on previous work exploring a formal way to assess the
composition of learning groups. We start from our existing framework, designed
to provide support to personalization in e-learning environments, comprising an
implementation of the Vygotskij Theory of proximal development. In such theory,
effective individual learning achievements can be only obtained within the
boundaries of a cognitive zone where the learner can proceed without
frustration, though with support from teacher and peers. In this endeavor, the
individual development cannot disregard social-collaborative educational
activities. Previously we gave operative definitions of the Zone of Proximal
Development for both single learners and groups; here we aim at assessing the
viability of a partition of students in groups over a common task. Keywords: Individual Zone of Proximal Development; Group Zone of Proximal development;
Personalized learning path; Social collaborative e-learning | |||
| A Data Mining Approach to the Analysis of Students' Learning Styles in an e-Learning Community: A Case Study | | BIBA | Full-Text | 289-300 | |
| Valentina Efrati; Carla Limongelli; Filippo Sciarrone | |||
| In recent years, there has been a radical change in the world of education and training that is causing that many schools, universities and companies are adopting the most modern technologies, mainly based on Web architectures and Web 2.0 instruments and tools, for learning, managing and sharing of knowledge. In this context, an e-Learning system can reach its maximum potential and effectiveness if it could take advantage of the information in its possession and process it in an intelligent and personalized way. The Educational Data Mining is an emergent field of research where the approach to personalization makes use of the log data generated by learners during their training process, to dynamically update users learning profiles such as skills and learning styles and identify students behavioral patterns. In this paper we present a case study of a data mining approach, based on cluster analysis, in order to support the detection of learning styles in a community of learners, following the Grasha-Riechmann learning styles model. As an e-learning framework we used the Moodle LMS platform and studied the log files generated by a course taken by a community of learners. The first experimental results suggest a connection between clusters and learning styles, reinforcing the use of this approach. | |||
| Augmented Reality Tools and Learning Practice in Mobile-Learning | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 301-312 | |
| Mauro Figueiredo; José Gomes; Cristina Gomes; João Lopes | |||
| There are many augmented reality (AR) applications available that can be
used to create educational contents for these mobile devices. This paper
surveys the most popular augmented reality applications and we select AR
eco-systems to be used in daily teaching activities which are user friendly, do
not require programming skills and are free. Different augmented reality
technologies are explored in this paper to create teaching activities with
animations, videos and other information to be shown on top of interactive
documents. It is presented the creation of a novel augmented reality book that
was developed with teachers and students. Several examples are also presented
that are used in educational activities, from kindergarten to elementary and
secondary schools, to improve reading, comprehension and learning of music. Keywords: Augmented reality; e-learning; m-learning | |||
| e-Testing with Interactive Images -- Opportunities and Challenges | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 313-324 | |
| Marjan Gusev; Sasko Ristov; Goce Armenski | |||
| Modern e-Education systems lack some basic functionalities the e-Testing
systems have, such as reuse of question database, random positioning of answer
options in multiple choice questions, generation of different tests with the
same complexity for students, prevention of cheating by guessing and memorizing
etc.
Multimedia is essential in the delivery of e-Learning and e-Testing. However, most of the existing systems include multimedia only as delivery of static pictures and animations without any interaction with images. In this paper we refer to opportunities and challenges the interactive image might have for e-Testing. We present features of a new human computer interface and discuss the basic architecture of interactive images to be applied in the delivery of interactive e-Testing. At the end we discuss the benefit of this approach and present proof of a concept by analyzing the application domain. Keywords: Google maps engine; interactive image; e-testing | |||
| On Enhancing Disabled Students' Accessibility in Environmental Education Using ICT: The MusicPaint Case | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 325-336 | |
| Sofia J. Hadjileontiadou; Erasmia Plastra; Kostantinos Toumpas; Katerina Kyprioti; Dimitrios Mandiliotis; João Barroso; Leontios J. Hadjileontiadis | |||
| This work draws upon the theoretical foundations of Special Education for
People with Disability, Environmental Education and the Human Computer
Interaction (HCI), from the Activity Theory perspective, to propose the
MusicPaint software. Initially, the design considerations of MusicPaint are
presented. Then, its pilot use by seven students with disability is described.
From the qualitative and quantitative evidence of performance that was
gathered, the key findings are presented and discussed. Despite the limited
number of participants in the experimental validation scenarios, the findings
reveal the potentiality of the MusicPaint to enhance the accessibility of
students with disability to Environmental Education opportunities, contributing
to the HCI-based enhancement of accessibility in the educational settings. Keywords: Students with Disability; Special Education; Environmental Education; ICT;
MusicPaint; Human-Computer Interaction; Didactical Instruction; Activity Theory | |||
| Accessibility in Multimodal Digital Learning Materials | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 337-348 | |
| Bolette Willemann Jensen; Simon Moe | |||
| This review is based on research-based guidelines and principles for
accessibility in multimodal digital learning materials and educational texts.
It also includes research on the use of the body and interaction as a kind of
modality. In the context of the review a number of recommendations is themed,
based on findings in the literature, from a didactic-pedagogical perspective.
These themes relate to: the structure and content of learning materials;
software and formats; the correlation between modalities; and kinesthetics. We
conclude with a presentation of general principles for the idea of broad
accessibility. Keywords: Accessibility; Multimodality; Digitalisation; Learning materials; Reading | |||
| Accessible Open Educational Resources for Students with Disabilities in Greece: They are Open to the Deaf | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 349-357 | |
| Vassilis Kourbetis; Konstantinos Boukouras | |||
| The development Open Educational Resources is the main outcome of the
project "Design and Development of Accessible Educational & Instructional
Material for Students with Disabilities". A portion of the deliverables of the
project that mainly concerns Deaf students, a population that is usually under
presented, is presented in this article. The Collection of Educational
Resources, the Bilingual Hybrid books and the online videos with interactive
text navigation cover mainly elementary school needs of Deaf students. Making
textbooks accessible, as Open Educational Resources, by all students including
the Deaf, on a national level meets the needs of all the students in the
country by creating equal opportunities for learning, participating and
accessing the curriculum. Keywords: deaf children; Greek Sign Language; open educational resources | |||
| Measuring the Effect of First Encounter with Source Code Entry for Instruction Set Architectures Using Touchscreen Devices: Evaluation of Usability Components | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 358-369 | |
| Mihael Kukec; Vlado Glavinic; Sandi Ljubic | |||
| In this paper we address the possibility of writing program code for
instruction set architectures using the touchscreen as the input device.
Instruction set architecture is the common name for a collection of resources
computer engineers use when developing code at the hardware level. One of the
most important subsets among these resources are instructions which programmers
use to create algorithms. Students enrolled in computer engineering curricula
are trained to develop such solutions, using standard personal computers
equipped with keyboard and mouse, thus providing them with a high level
usability working environment. As technology progress has enabled the
introduction of mobile platforms in the educational process, touchscreen based
m-learning becomes a viable tool. To that end, in our previous research we
developed a specific keyboard VMK that supports entry of assembly language
code, which is based on mnemonic keys, with the aim to achieve a better
efficiency of assembly coding. In the present paper we present the outcome of
an improved empirical research targeting the comparison of VMK and the standard
QWERTY keyboard. The results thus obtained show improved results of key
usability attributes of efficiency and subjective satisfaction. Keywords: Technology enhanced learning; usability; mobile devices; touchscreen
keyboards | |||
| Framework for Adaptive Knowledge Transmission Supported by HCI and Interoperability Concepts | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 370-377 | |
| Fernando Luís-Ferreira; João Sarraipa; Ricardo Jardim-Goncalves | |||
| Teachers and educators have the mission of transmitting the best of their
knowledge using the most from available resources and following established
programmatic guidelines. The continuous evolution of technology, proposing new
tools and apparatus for knowledge representation and transmission, has offered
innumerous options for the mission of teaching. However, more then providing a
wide set of experimental setups, or multimedia contents, would be important to
determine the best content for each student. Hypothetically, the best content
would be defined as the most suited to promote a seamless transmission of
knowledge, according to the student status and his readiness to receive those
concepts. Human Computer Interfaces can promote a better interoperability
between those who teach and those who learn and can better adapt contents and
transmission methods to the needs and abilities of each student in class. The
present paper proposes a framework for adapting knowledge transmission, either
local or remotely, to the needs and circumstances of each teaching act. Keywords: HCI; Interoperability; Emotions; Knowledge Management; Neurosciences | |||
| HCI-Based Guidelines for Electronic and Mobile Learning for Arabic Speaking Users: Do They Effectively Exist? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 378-387 | |
| Muhanna Muhanna; Edward Jaser | |||
| Electronic and mobile learning in recent years has been considered as an
invaluable tool to support the learning process. Several tools and
comprehensive platforms have been developed in the paradigms of e-learning and
m-learning. One issue is the usability of these tools. It is essential to
define metrics to measure efficiency, learnability, satisfaction and other
usability properties. Another equally important issue is the presence of
guidelines compiled based on accumulated scientific reasoning behind design
decisions. In this paper, we discuss the issue of HCI-based guideline specific
to designing e- and m-learning platforms and tools intended for Arabic users.
We present our analysis on the availability of such guidelines, their
deployment and to whether they adequately address the challenges characteristic
to Arabic language. Keywords: HCI; Arabic; E-Learning; M-Learning; Guidelines | |||
| Accessible Online Education: Audiovisual Translation and Assistive Technology at the Crossroads | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 388-399 | |
| Emmanouela Patiniotaki | |||
| The purpose of this paper is to give prominence to the potential of the
combination of access services emerging within Translation, and more
specifically Audiovisual Translation and what is also known as Accessible Media
or Media Accessibility, with Assistive Technology tools, which have been more
widely realised as the media for accessibility. Through a thorough
investigation of access provision practices within the two fields, the research
aims to combine the best applications within the two fields to suggest
potential implementation of AVT and AST elements towards accessible online
educational environments while catering for the needs of students with sensory
impairments. Keywords: online education; assistive technology; audiovisual translation;
accessibility; access services; subtitling; audio description; deaf;
hard-of-hearing; sensory impairments; blind; partially sighted | |||
| Skill Development Framework for Micro-Tasking | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 400-409 | |
| Shin Saito; Toshihiro Watanabe; Masatomo Kobayashi; Hironobu Takagi | |||
| We propose a framework of micro-tasking that intrinsically supports the
development of workers' skills. It aims to help developers of micro-tasking
systems add skill development capabilities to their systems with minimal
development costs. This will allow micro-tasking of skill-intensive work and
improve the sustainability of micro-tasking systems. Based on the results of
the micro-tasking projects we have carried out, our framework has three core
modules: tutorial producer, task dispatcher, and feedback visualizer, which are
supported by a back-end skill assessment engine. In closing, we discuss ways to
apply the proposed framework to realistic micro-tasking situations. Keywords: Crowdsourcing; Micro-Tasks; Skill Assessment; Skill Development;
Gamification; Senior Workforce | |||
| Utilizing Eye Tracking to Improve Learning from Examples | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 410-418 | |
| Amir Shareghi Najar; Antonija Mitrovic; Kourosh Neshatian | |||
| In recent year, eye tracking has been used in many areas such as usability
studies of interfaces, marketing, and psychology. Learning with computer-based
educational systems relies heavily on students' interactions, and therefore eye
tracking has been used to study and improve learning. We have recently
conducted several studies on using worked examples in addition to tutored
problem solving. In this paper we discuss how we used eye-tracking data to
compare behaviors of novices and advanced students while studying examples. We
propose a new technique to analyze eye-gaze patterns named EGPA. In order to
comprehend SQL examples, students require information available in the database
schema. We analyzed students' eye movement data from different perspectives,
and found that advanced students paid more attention to database schema than
novices. In future work, we will use the outcomes of this study to provide
proactive feedback. Keywords: eye tracking; learning from examples; intelligent tutoring | |||
| Engaging Students with Profound and Multiple Disabilities Using Humanoid Robots | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 419-430 | |
| Penny Standen; David Brown; Jess Roscoe; Joseph Hedgecock; David Stewart; Maria Jose Galvez Trigo; Elmunir Elgajiji | |||
| Engagement is the single best predictor of successful learning for children
with intellectual disabilities yet achieving engagement with pupils who have
profound or multiple disabilities (PMD) presents a challenge to educators.
Robots have been used to engage children with autism but are they effective
with pupils whose disabilities limit their ability to control other technology?
Learning objectives were identified for eleven pupils with PMD and a humanoid
robot was programmed to enable teachers to use it to help pupils achieve these
objectives. These changes were evaluated with a series of eleven case studies
where teacher-pupil dyads were observed during four planned video recorded
sessions. Engagement was rated in a classroom setting and during the last
session with the robot. Video recordings were analysed for duration of
engagement and teacher assistance and number of goals achieved. Rated
engagement was significantly higher with the robot than in the classroom.
Observations of engagement, assistance and goal achievement remained at the
same level throughout the sessions suggesting no reduction in the novelty
factor. Keywords: Robots; education; engagement; profound and multiple intellectual
disabilities; case studies; video analysis | |||
| Transfer of Learnings between Disciplines: What S-BPM Facilitators Could Ask Progressive Educators (and might not dare to do) | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 431-442 | |
| Chris Stary | |||
| Subject-oriented Business Process Management (S-BPM) is a novel paradigm in
Business Process Management (BPM). Educating students and business stakeholders
in S-BPM requires facilitating a substantial mind shift from function- towards
communication-oriented (re-)construction of processes. Reformist pedagogy, as
driven by Maria Montessori, allows learners grasping and applying novel
concepts in self-contained settings and in an individualistic while reflected
way. So why not learn from her experiences for introducing S-BPM? In this
contribution her analysis of human cultural factors enabling literacy has been
transcribed to S-BPM education. When informing S-BPM capacity development
according to progressive education, understanding the actual situation and
readiness of learners seems to play a crucial role, as it influences their
engagement in learning environments. These factors need to be differentiated
when conveying S-BPM concepts and activities. Keywords: Subject-oriented Business Process Management; learning; literacy;
progressive education; prepared environment; BPM capacity building | |||
| DayByDay: Interactive and Customizable Use of Mobile Technology in the Cognitive Development Process of Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 443-453 | |
| Vanessa Tavares de Oliveira Barros; Cristiane Affonso de Almeida Zerbetto; Kátia Tavares Meserlian; Rodolfo Barros; Murilo Crivellari Camargo; Táthia Cristina Passos de Carvalho | |||
| Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was firstly described as a disturbance of
affective contact, including language deficiency, social interaction
limitation, and repetitive/restrictive behaviors. ASD individuals are to be
motivated and encouraged to seek for independence and cognitive development, in
order to overcome the restrictions imposed by the disturbance. This paper
presents the development of an application aimed specifically at helping ASD
children aged 8-12 years improve, by establishing a sequential and
highly-customizable routine. Developed with the help of professionals that work
with autistic children and their caregivers, the application proves to be a
support tool for the ASD individuals' reality. Keywords: Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Assistive Technology (AT); Accessibility | |||
| An Introduction to the FLOE Project | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 454-465 | |
| Jutta Treviranus; Jess Mitchell; Colin Clark; Vera Roberts | |||
| Learners learn differently. Research shows that learners learn best when the
learning experience is personalized to individual needs. Open Education
Resource (OER) platforms potentially provide an ideal learning environment to
meet the diverse needs of learners, including learners with disabilities.
Unfortunately accessibility was not a consideration when OER were initially
designed or developed. When the FLOE (Flexible Learning for Open Education)
Project was asked to address the accessibility of OER, rather than a
traditional approach to accessibility with a single set of fixed criteria, FLOE
set out to support the OER community in providing a personalized and fully
integrated approach to accessible learning. This approach advances the
strengths and values of open education and also encourages pedagogical and
technical innovation. While ensuring the resources are accessible to diverse
learners, including learners with disabilities, the approach also supports
content portability, ease of updating, internationalization and localization,
content reuse and repurposing, and more efficient and effective content
discovery. Keywords: Accessibility; inclusive design; open education; personalization; open
education resources | |||
| Design of a Virtual Reality Driving Environment to Assess Performance of Teenagers with ASD | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 466-474 | |
| Joshua Wade; Dayi Bian; Lian Zhang; Amy Swanson; Medha Sarkar; Zachary Warren; Nilanjan Sarkar | |||
| Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an extremely common and costly
neurodevelopmental disorder. While significant research has been devoted to
addressing social communication skill deficits of people with ASD, relatively
less attention has been paid to improving their deficits in daily activities
such as driving. Only two empirical studies have investigated driving
performance in individuals with ASD -- both employing proprietary driving
simulation software. We designed a novel Virtual Reality (VR) driving simulator
so that we could integrate various sensory modules directly into our system as
well as to define task-oriented protocols that would not be otherwise possible
using commercial software. We conducted a small user study with a group of
individuals with ASD and a group of typically developing community controls. We
found that our system was capable of distinguishing behavioral patterns between
both groups indicating that it is suitable for use in designing a protocol
aimed at improving driving performance. Keywords: Virtual Reality; Autism intervention; Adaptive task; Physiological signals;
Eye gaze | |||
| Learning from Each Other: An Agent Based Approach | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 475-486 | |
| Goran Zaharija; Saša Mladenovic; Andrina Granic | |||
| This paper presents an agent based approach to knowledge representation and
learning methods. Agent architecture is described and discussed, together with
its advantages and limitations. Main purpose of the proposed approach is to
gain further insight in current teaching methods with a foremost aspiration for
their improvement. Two different experimental studies were conducted; the first
one addressing knowledge representation and the second one regarding knowledge
transfer between agents. Obtained results are presented and analysed. Keywords: learning; artificial intelligence; machine learning; agent based systems | |||
| SMART VIEW: A Serious Game Supporting Spatial Orientation of Subjects with Cognitive Impairments | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 489-500 | |
| Rosa Maria Bottino; Andrea Canessa; Michela Ott; Mauro Tavella | |||
| The paper presents SMART VIEW a serious game developed with the aim of
helping young people with moderate cognitive disabilities acquire those spatial
abilities that are key prerequisites to autonomous mobility. The game was
conceived for cognitively impaired teenagers; it proposes exercises supporting
the acquisition and consolidation of competences related to space awareness and
self-perception in the space; such skills are necessary to develop the sense of
spatial orientation, which is critical for the target population. SMART VIEW
makes use of Touch Screen tables so to allow easier access to the game content
and augmented interaction. Particular attention has been devoted to the game
interface design, so to make it free from cognitive barriers and fully
accessible to the target population. Contents are as close as possible to
reality and the educational strategy entails slow and gradual increase of the
game complexity, so to properly sustain the users' cognitive effort. Keywords: Serious Games; Spatial Orientation; Cognitive Disabilities; Perspective
Taking; E-inclusion; Technology Enhanced Learning | |||
| Tabletop Computer Game Mechanics for Group Rehabilitation of Individuals with Brain Injury | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 501-512 | |
| Jonathan Duckworth; Jessica D. Bayliss; Patrick R. Thomas; David Shum; Nick Mumford; Peter H. Wilson | |||
| In this paper we provide a rationale for using tabletop displays for the
upper-limb movement rehabilitation of individuals with brain injury. We
consider how computer game mechanics may leverage this technology to increase
patient engagement and social interaction, and subsequently enhance prescribed
training. In recent years there has been a growing interest among health
professionals in the use of computer games and interactive technology for
rehabilitation. Research indicates that games have the potential to stimulate a
high level of interest and enjoyment in patients; enhance learning; provide
safe task conditions; complement conventional therapy; and become intrinsically
motivating. We explore how game mechanics that include reward structures, game
challenges and augmented audiovisual feedback may enhance a goal-orientated
rehabilitation learning space for individuals with brain injury. We pay
particular attention to game design elements that support multiple players and
show how these might be designed for interactive tabletop display systems in
group rehabilitation. Keywords: Computer Game Mechanics; Game Design; Group Interaction; Tabletop Display;
Movement Rehabilitation; Acquired Brain Injury | |||
| Learning through Game Making: An HCI Perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 513-524 | |
| Jeffrey Earp; Francesca Maria Dagnino; Michela Ott | |||
| One of the areas of Game-Based Learning (GBL) that has been attracting
considerable interest in recent years is digital game making, whereby learners
play games but also design, construct and share them as active participants in
a learning community. Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is a critical aspect of
processes and tools within game making, and plays a key role in ensuring that
learning experiences are both engaging and educationally fruitful. In this
light, this paper examines two different game authoring environments from an
HCI perspective, taking account of certain interface characteristics can affect
and shape the authoring process and thus have a potential bearing on
educational effectiveness. The investigation draws on findings from an EU
co-funded project called MAGICAL (MAking Games In CollaborAtion for Learning),
which is exploring the potential that game making offers for activating key
transversal skills such as problem-solving, creativity and ICT competency,
particularly at primary school level. Keywords: Game Making; Game-Based Learning; Technology Enhanced Learning; Human
Computer Interaction; Usability; Accessibility | |||
| Videogaming Interaction for Mental Model Construction in Learners Who Are Blind | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 525-536 | |
| Matías Espinoza; Jaime Sánchez; Márcia de Borba Campos | |||
| The purpose of this work is to present the design, development and
evaluation of a videogame that allows users who are blind to gradually build up
a mental model based on references between different points on a Cartesian
plane, in a way that is both didactic and entertaining. Two prototypes were
iteratively created, and were subjected to usability evaluations by the end
users, who used the videogame in the context of a set of defined tasks. This
allowed researchers to adjust, improve and validate various aspects of the
interfaces that had been designed and implemented. In addition, the cognitive
impact of the game on blind learners was evaluated, based on the use of the
final version of the videogame, and leading to revealing results regarding the
proposed objectives. Keywords: People who are blind; Videogame; Reference system; Mental model; Audio and
haptic based interfaces; Wiimote | |||
| A Data-Driven Entity-Component Approach to Develop Universally Accessible Games | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 537-548 | |
| Franco Eusébio Garcia; Vânia Paula de Almeida Neris | |||
| Design and implementing accessible games can be challenging, particularly
when the designers wish to address different interaction capabilities.
Universally-Accessible Games (UA-Games), for instance, follow the principles of
the Design for All, aiming to enable the broadest audience as possible to play.
Although there are papers regarding the design of UA-Games, the implementation
can still be challenging. This paper presents a flexible and extensible
approach to implement an UA-Game. The approach relies in a data-driven and
component based architecture to allow game entities to be created, managed and
customized during run-time. Doing so, it is possible to change the behavior and
presentation of the game whilst it is running, allowing the game to adapt
itself to better address the interaction needs of the user. Furthermore, being
data-driven, it is possible to create and customize user profiles to address
specific interaction requirements. Keywords: Universal Design; Game Accessibility; Universally-Accessible Game; Game
Design; Game Development | |||
| Players' Opinions on Control and Playability of a BCI Game | | BIBA | Full-Text | 549-560 | |
| Hayrettin Gürkök; Bram van de Laar; Danny Plass-Oude Bos; Mannes Poel; Anton Nijholt | |||
| Brain-computer interface (BCI) games can satisfy our need for competence by providing us with challenges that we should enjoy tackling. However, many BCI games that claim to provide enjoyable challenges fail to do so. Some common fallacies and pitfalls about BCI games play a role in this failure and in this paper we report on a study that we carried out to empirically investigate them. More specifically, we explored (1) active and passive interaction with BCI games, (2) BCI gaming as a skill and (3) playability of a BCI game. We conducted an experiment with 42 participants who played a popular computer game called World of Warcraft using a commercial BCI headset called EPOC. We conducted interviews about the participants' experiences of the game and ran a phenomenological analysis on their responses. The analysis results showed that (1) the players would like to play a BCI game actively if the BCI controls critical game elements, (2) the technical challenges of BCI cannot motivate the players to play a BCI game and (3) the players' enjoyment of one-time playing of a BCI game does not imply playability of the game. | |||
| Designing Playful Games and Applications to Support Science Centers Learning Activities | | BIBA | Full-Text | 561-570 | |
| Michail N. Giannakos; David Jones; Helen Crompton; Nikos Chrisochoides | |||
| In recent years there has been a renewed interest on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Following this interest, science centers' staff started providing technology enhanced informal STEM education experiences. The use of well-designed mobile and ubiquitous forms of technology to enrich informal STEM education activities is an essential success factor. The goal of our research is to investigate how technology applications can be better used and developed for taking full advantage of the opportunities and challenges they provide for students learning about STEM concepts. In our approach, we have conducted a series of interviews with experts from science center curating and outdoor learning activities development, with the final goal of exploring and improving current learning environments and practices. This paper presents the development of set of design considerations for the development of STEM games and applications of young students. An initial set of best practices was first developed through semi-structures interviews with experts; and afterwards, by employing content analysis, a revised set of considerations was obtained. These results are useful for STEM education teachers, curriculum designers, curators and developers for K-12 education environments. | |||
| Designing Sociable CULOT as a Playground Character | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 571-580 | |
| Nihan Karatas; Nozomi Kina; Daiki Tanaka; Naoki Ohshima; P. Ravindra S. De Silva; Michio Okada | |||
| CULOT is designed as a playground character with the aim of grounding the
playground language (verbal, non-verbal, playing-rules, etc) between children
through play-routing while experiencing the pleasure of play. A robot
establishes "persuasiveness" activities inside the playground, through the
process of generating play rules/contexts and executive social interactions and
engagement toward the intention of "attachment" of the children to the robot
through interaction and activities. The behavior of the robot plays a
significant role in executing the above playground activities (or interaction).
As a primary study, our focus is to explore how robot behaviors (cues) are
capable of generating the playground rules, social interaction and engagement
in order to convey its intention to children and extract the potential
dimensions in order to design CULOT behaviors as a playground character by
considering the above factors. Keywords: Playground language; persuasiveness; attachment | |||
| KidSmart© in Early Childhood Learning Practices: Playful Learning Potentials? | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 581-592 | |
| Eva Petersson Brooks; Nanna Borum | |||
| This paper reports on a study exploring the outcomes from children's play
with technology in early childhood learning practices. The study is grounded in
a sociocultural perspective on play and learning and consists of an analysis of
children's interaction with the KidSmart furniture, particularly focusing on
playful learning potentials and values suggested by the technology. The study
applied a qualitative approach and included125 children (aged three to five),
10 pedagogues, and two librarians. The results suggests that educators should
sensitively consider intervening when children are interacting with technology,
and rather put emphasize into the integration of the technology into the
environment and to the curriculum in order to shape playful structures for
children's individual and collective interaction with technology. Keywords: Early childhood learning; playful learning; interaction; technology;
affordances | |||
| Interactive Multimodal Molecular Set -- Designing Ludic Engaging Science Learning Content | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 593-604 | |
| Tine Pinholt Thorsen; Kasper Holm Christiansen; Kristian Jakobsen Sillesen; Torben Rosenørn; Eva Petersson Brooks | |||
| This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating 10 primary school
students' interaction with an interactive multimodal molecular set fostering
ludic engaging science learning content in primary schools (8th and 9th grade).
The concept of the prototype design was to bridge the physical and virtual
worlds with electronic tags and, through this, blend the familiarity of the
computer and toys, to create a tool that provided a ludic approach to learning
about atoms and molecules. The study was inspired by the participatory design
and informant design methodologies and included design collaboratorium
sessions, interviews and observations. The results indicated that bridging the
physical and digital worlds can support learning where the affordances of the
technologies can be described in terms of meaningful activity: exploration,
reasoning, reflection, and ludic engagement. Here, the electronic tags
facilitate the application and provide the students to articulate knowledge
through different modes; images, gestures, and 3D objects. Keywords: Human-computer interaction; multimodality; ludic engagement; learning;
abstract concepts; pedagogy | |||
| Modeling Videogames for Mental Mapping in People Who Are Blind | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 605-616 | |
| Jaime Sánchez; Matías Espinoza; Márcia de Borba Campos; Letícia Lopes Leite | |||
| Mental maps allow users to acquire, codify and manipulate spatial
information, as they are schematics that guide behavior and help to deal with
spatial problems by providing solutions. This is to say that mental or
cognitive maps involve processes of spatial reasoning. The purpose of this work
was to design a videogame development model to serve as a framework for
designing videogames to help learners who are blind to construct mental maps
for the development of geometric-mathematical abilities and orientation and
mobility (O&M) skills. Keywords: Development model; videogames; mental map; geometry; orientation and
mobility | |||
| Most Important in the Design: Focus on the Users' Needs, a Case Study | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 617-625 | |
| Cecilia Sik Lanyi; Agnes Nyeki; Veronika Szücs | |||
| This paper presents the design process of the rehabilitation game "Gardener"
that was carried out within the StrokeBack project as a case study. The game
was developed for the purpose that stroke patients with upper limb injuries
should carry out flexion and extension movements with their fingers several
times in a row constantly. During the development, the developers did not only
perform the alpha testing with stroke patients, but they were in connection
with the therapists and were seeking for their views at the creation of each
new version. As a result, the "Gardener" game is not only useful, but also a
delightful rehabilitation game for patients. Keywords: stroke; rehabilitation; game; user needs | |||
| Combining Ludology and Narratology in an Open Authorable Framework for Educational Games for Children: the Scenario of Teaching Preschoolers with Autism Diagnosis | | BIBA | Full-Text | 626-636 | |
| Nikolas Vidakis; Eirini Christinaki; Iosif Serafimidis; Georgios Triantafyllidis | |||
| This paper presents the initial findings and the on-going work of IOLAOS project, a general open authorable framework for educational games for children. This framework features an editor, where the game narrative can be created or edited, according to specific needs. A ludic approach is also used both for the interface as well as for the game design. More specifically, by employing physical and natural user interface (NUI), we aim to achieve ludic interfaces. Moreover, by designing the educational game with playful elements, we follow a ludic design. This framework is then applied for the scenario of teaching preschoolers with autism diagnosis. Children with autism have been reported to exhibit deficits in the recognition of affective expressions and the perception of emotions. With the appropriate intervention, elimination of those deficits can be achieved. Interventions are proposed to start as early as possible. Computer-based programs have been widely used with success to teach people with autism to recognize emotions. However, those computer interventions require considerable skills for interaction. Such abilities are beyond very young children with autism as most probably they don't have the skills to interact with computers. In this context, our approach with the suggested framework employs a ludic interface based on NUI, a ludic game design and takes account of the specific characteristics of preschoolers with autism diagnosis and their physical abilities for customizing accordingly the narrative of the game. | |||
| Engaging People with Cultural Heritage: Users' Perspective | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 639-649 | |
| Maria Eugenia Beltrán; Yolanda Ursa; Silvia de los Rios; María Fernanda Cabrera-Umpiérrez; María Teresa Arredondo; Miguel Páramo; Belén Prados; Lucía María Pérez | |||
| Although Culture is a very important asset of population and a driver for
personal and economic development, the engagement of citizens with their
cultural heritage environment remains low. The European project TAG CLOUD
explores the use of cloud-based technologies that lead to adaptability and
personalisation to promote lifelong engagement with Culture. Within the context
of this project, early-stage evaluations with users have been carried out for
designing the scenarios and use cases that will be developed, and will act as a
general framework, for the project. This paper presents the results of two
evaluations: the user-driven evaluation conducted in the Monumental Complex of
Alhambra and Generalife, which assessed the main users' needs and expectations;
and the Cultural Heritage managers' focus group, which assessed technologies
and approaches for alignment with users' expectations. Keywords: engagement; cultural heritage; UCD; ICT; TAG CLOUD | |||
| The Practice of Showing 'Who I am': A Multimodal Analysis of Encounters between Science Communicator and Visitors at Science Museum | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 650-661 | |
| Mayumi Bono; Hiroaki Ogata; Katsuya Takanashi; Ayami Joh | |||
| In this paper, we try to contribute to the design of future technologies
used in science museums where there is no explicit, pre-determined relationship
regarding knowledge between Science Communicators (SCs) and visitors. We
illustrate the practice of interaction between them, especially focusing on
social encounter. Starting in October 2012, we conducted a field study at the
National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in Japan. Based
on multimodal analysis, we examine various activities, focusing on how expert
SCs communicate about science: how they begin interactions with visitors, how
they maintain them, and how they conclude them. Keywords: Multimodal Interaction Analysis; Social encounter; Science Communicators
(SCs); Science Museum | |||
| Using Augmented Reality and Social Media in Mobile Applications to Engage People on Cultural Sites | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 662-672 | |
| Silvia de los Ríos; María Fernanda Cabrera-Umpiérrez; María Teresa Arredondo; Miguel Páramo; Bastian Baranski; Jochen Meis; Michael Gerhard; Belén Prados; Lucía Pérez; María del Mar Villafranca | |||
| One of the toughest challenges that curators and professionals in the
heritage sector face is how to attract, engage and retain visitors of heritage
institutions. The current approaches have only limited success since they still
follow the same centralized strategy of producing and delivering cultural
content to the general public. This paper provides an overview of current
trends in information technology that are most relevant to cultural
institutions, and investigates how augmented reality, gamification,
storytelling and social media can improve visitors' experience by providing new
means of participation, proposing a radically new approach in defining cultural
content and creating personalised experiences with cultural heritage objects.
The paper considers actual use cases provided by the European research project
TAG CLOUD to define the functional range of suitable applications and proposes
a set of system components that are being implemented in TAG CLOUD. Keywords: Augmented reality; social media; gamification; storytelling; mobile
applications; cultural heritage; TAG CLOUD | |||
| Using Cloud Technologies for Engaging People with Cultural Heritage | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 673-680 | |
| Silvia de los Ríos; María Fernanda Cabrera-Umpiérrez; María Teresa Arredondo; Patricia Abril; Viveca Jiménez; Christos Giachritsis | |||
| Cultural heritage is an important asset of Europe which is largely
underexplored. One of the main reasons is that the general public do not really
incorporate cultural activities in their life style. Currently, curators and
professionals in the heritage sector face the toughest challenges on how to
attract, engage and retain visitors of heritage institutions (libraries,
museums, archives and historical societies). TAG CLOUD FP7 European project
seeks to overcome this situation and promote lifelong engagement with culture
by personalising the visitors' cultural experiences through cloud technologies. Keywords: cultural heritage; cloud technologies; TAG CLOUD; engagement;
personalisation | |||
| Tailoring Lifelong Cultural Experiences | | BIBA | Full-Text | 681-692 | |
| Jacqueline Floch; Shanshan Jiang; Maria Eugenia Beltrán; Eurydice Georganteli; Ioanna Koukounis; Belén Prados; Lucia María Pérez; María del Mar Villafranca; Silvia de los Ríos; María F. Cabrera-Umpiérrez; María T. Arredondo | |||
| ICT-based personalization in cultural heritage has been an important topic of research during the last twenty years. Personalization is used as a means to enhance the visitors' experience of a cultural site. Little consideration has however been set on lifelong cultural experiences, i.e. engaging the public in culture beyond the visit of a single site and bridging multiple sites. Cultural sites differ leading to a diversity of needs that should be taken into account through a personalization approach. This paper presents a set of scenarios tailored to suit the needs of three different Cultural Heritage sites in different EU countries. These scenarios have been developed within the EU funded project TAG CLOUD that aims at leveraging existing technologies to support realistic lifelong engagement experiences with cultural heritage through personalized content and interaction. | |||
| Designing Personalised Itineraries for Europe's Cultural Routes | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 693-704 | |
| Eurydice S. Georganteli; Ioanna N. Koukouni | |||
| Throughout history it has been necessary for mankind to travel: for a better
life, for pilgrimage, for religious or political freedom, for trade, for
communication between nations or for conquest. Each culture as it developed
found in coinage the most powerful means to facilitate and control economic
activities within and outside its territories. And as peoples from different
cultures travelled and mixed with others, so did their coins. Byzantine,
Islamic, and western medieval European coins circulated and changed hands along
routes of migration, trade, war, pilgrimage and diplomacy; the routes set out
from Constantinople/Istanbul to the Adriatic in the western Balkans; from the
Black Sea to the eastern and western Mediterranean; from Britain, Scandinavia
to Russia. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Birmingham
houses one of the finest collections of medieval Christian and Islamic coins
worldwide. This paper presents select case studies based on the numismatic
resources of the Barber Institute to show the role of coins as a means to track
and discuss inter-cultural dialogue that took place along Europe's cultural
routes. The combination of storylines based on coins, related artefacts and
sites, and the implementation of modern technologies can further social
engagement and alert existing and new audiences of the potential of cultural
heritage as a major connecting thread of Europe's diverse cultural communities. Keywords: cultural routes; coins; lifelong learning; Byzantium; medieval Europe;
medieval Islam; cross-cultural encounters; global audience; museum; exhibition;
heritage; cultural routes | |||
| Widening Access to Intangible Cultural Heritage: towards the Development of an Innovative Platform | | BIBAK | Full-Text | 705-713 | |
| Michela Ott; Francesca Maria Dagnino; Francesca Pozzi; Mauro Tavella | |||
| The paper discusses around Human Computer Interaction aspects of advanced
learning systems. It underlines the added value (in terms of widening the
learning possibilities and enhancing the learning experience) of designing the
system itself only after having carefully taken into account the users'
requirements regulating the interactions between the learners and the
technological environments. In doing so, it offers the view of what has been
done in the EU project i-Treasures, which focuses on Intangible Cultural
Heritage (ICHs) and investigates whether and to what extent new technology can
play a role in widening the access to the underpinning rare know-how, and
possibly sustaining its transmission / passing down to next generations. The
project can be regarded as exemplar since it instantiates a very peculiar
situation where HCI aspects are deeply affected by the fact that the
i-Treasures technological system foresees the massive use of cutting edge
sensors. Keywords: Cultural Heritage Education; Intangible Cultural Heritage; Human Computer
Interaction; Learning Management Systems; Educational platforms; Accessibility;
Usability | |||
| Adaptive User Experiences in the Cultural Heritage Information Space | | BIBA | Full-Text | 714-725 | |
| Luke Speller; Philip Stephens; Daniel Roythorne | |||
| Given the thematic diversity, richness and variance in exposition of
published cultural heritage information and artefacts, accessing pertinent
information can be a cumbersome task. The TAGCLOUD project aims to create an
adaptive cultural heritage experience for individuals based on their personal
preferences, allowing users to navigate with ease around both cultural
artefacts and the related information space. Users will establish a narrative
between themselves and their cultural heritage experience.
We propose metrics and methods for making the transition from a pull-based dynamic to a successful push-based methodology. Users are inevitably overwhelmed by the volume and specificity of cultural data, so traditional query-based interaction (e.g. filtering and sorting) is insufficient to guarantee a relevancy to the user of the retrieved information. Further, the small form factor of mobile devices poses strict limitations on the complexity of the interface and interaction methods available. The TAGCLOUD system applies content personalisation and context aware techniques from web search and marketing, to the realm of cultural heritage. We incorporate the geographical, chronological, historical and narrative relationships between cultural items, and span levels ranging from entire cities to individual artefacts. For each of these levels it is important to broadly define the possible ways the experience can be tailored. Information may be presented via different modalities, including audio, text, and augmented reality; and can vary according to an individuals interests and level of understanding. The context of the user can affect how and what is delivered, and may depend on their location, familiarity with their surroundings, or who they are with. Information and media should be presented so as to complement the experience and not detract from it. We investigate how we can retrieve information about the user both passively and actively. Information from the users device allows us to investigate their interaction with artefacts, and enables the system to form assumptions of their respective interest levels. Additional information is procured from social networking information, such as local graph traversal, and interactions related to the cultural heritage experience. We investigate how preference is extracted from the user model, how the system mitigates against destructive feedback that would show inappropriate suggestions. We propose the use of non-normative expressions of preference, to circumvent the tendency towards the populist mean, a generic weakness of ratings-based recommender systems. | |||