Fifi: Designing Educational Experiences using Ubiquitous

and Pervasive technology

Jessica Nethercott, Richard Joiner, Jo Reid, & Richard Hull

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Introduction

• Technologies underlying ubiquitous computing are beginning to move from research laboratories to the real world.

• Ubiquitous computing will be able to deliver situated digital experiences

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Introduction

• Situated digital experiences are– Context sensitive, particularly with respect

to location– Digitally mediated– Compelling to users

• The question is whether they can be developed to deliver compelling educational experiences

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Introduction

• There are a number of theories that could be used to inform design of compelling educational experiences.

• Hull, Kidds & Reids theory of compelling experience

• Lepper & Malone’s theory of intrinsic motivation

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Introduction

• Many similarities exist between the two models.

• Both models cover the following aspects: challenge, fantasy, sensory curiosity, co-operation and competition.

• However, there is one big difference the importance of a goal.

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Introduction

• Therefore the aim of this study was to explore the use of theories of intrinsic motivation in the design of situated digital educational experiences

• Two experiences were designed using SoundScape technology.

• One had a goal and one did not.

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Technology

• The technology used in this study was SoundScapes.

• A SoundScape is a physical environment that is overlaid with digital auras.

• An aura or nimbus is defined by several properties

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Technology

• The default behaviour of the aura is to act as a switch

• When a user enters an aura, their client device immediately fetches and plays an audio track.

• It does this via the 802.11b wireless network installed in the HP laboratories

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Study

• The children (n = 26) were aged between 11 –12 years old from a secondary school in Bath.

• The study employed a within participants design

• The were two tasks were designed– Goal and Non Goal Task

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Goal task

• The goal was to get three keys from an island to give to a magic transistor radio in order to save Fifi fairy from imprisonment.

• The children are told to pick up some magic dust from Fifi fairy

• The dust helps them find invisible stepping stones.

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Goal task

• If they successfully reached the island they were told that they have a key and to return to the transistor.

• When they returned the audio map changed and they had to find the second key.

• The path got more difficult with each level, the third level was the hardest.

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Goal task

• The physical element of the SoundScape consisted of – yellow material to mark the beach, – an inflatable alien dressed as a fairy– a transistor radio on a table– a compass marked on the sea area– green material and a plant to represent the

island

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Non-Goal Task

• The Non-goal task contained all the elements of the goal version apart from the goal.

• Thus, it was exactly the same physically as the goal version.

• Auras were dotted around the SoundScape, these contained animal sounds.

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Procedure

• The children were split into groups of 5

• Each participant was given 10 minutes on their first SoundScape and 10 minutes to fill in the relevant questionnaire.

• Then they were then given 10 minutes on their second SoundScape followed by the relevant questionnaires.

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Findings

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Findings

• The children found that the SoundScape with a goal was more interesting were more likely to want to have another go than the non-goal version

• Non goal condition was more sociable than the goal condition

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Findings

• They made more positive comments concerning the goal version.

• They presence of a goal was important reason why they liked the game.

• They made more negative comments concerning the non-goal version and mentioned a lack of a goal as negative aspect of the non-goal version.

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Findings

• They mentioned that one improvement for the non-goal version was to add a goal and to include more sensory stimulation.

• They preferred the goal version

• The most popular reason for preferring the goals version was the presence of a goal.

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Discussion

• The findings provided support for the importance of a goal in design of educational digital educational experiences.

• They also raise a number of questions concerning how they could be designed to support learning