Training in the Quantitative Synthesis of Intervention Research Findings in Education and Social Sciences
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Education
Abstract
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Organisations
| Description | 1. A new IT rich classroom of networked multi-touch tables, a teacher control and a set of 58 pedagogic applications for use within the environment that can be easily adapted by teachers to teach a broad range of curriculum topics. 25 classes have been taught within the environment impacting over 300 students. 2. A new integrated pedagogy which, by enabling easy transfer between teacher-centric and pupil-centric activity, and between independent and collaborative activity, demonstrated positive impacts on learning (Mercier, Higgins, Burd & Joyce-Gibbons, 2012; Mercier & Higgins, 2013). 3. An open-source research data-capture system which enables researchers to automatically capture video and audio data, simultaneously record user-interactions with multi-touch technology and enable simultaneous review of any number of data-streams from cameras and tables etc. This software has been downloaded by 237 external researcher/developers. 4. A data repository of classroom activity in which we recorded pupils' and teachers' collaborative exchanges (verbal and non-verbal) as they used SynergyNet. We captured 4.77 terabytes of data and used this to inform the evaluation, evolution and demonstration of our research. |
| Exploitation Route | The code is available as open source and is therefore available for subsequent development: https://code.google.com/p/synergynet/ Projecting content from student tables to an interactive whiteboard allows whole class discussion of each group's work, leading to increased reasoning within groups completing tasks (Mercier, Higgins, Burd & Joyce-Gibbons, 2012; Mercier & Higgins, 2014). This has pedagogical potential for further development. • A range of tools are needed for teachers to successfully orchestrate learning in a multi-touch classroom; these orchestration tools may be of use in other environments (Mercier, McNaughton, Higgins & Burd, 2012). Designing for a classroom identified new challenges and solutions for Human Computer Interaction: specifically orientation, reach, shared work spaces and connectivity (Smith, Burd, Ma, Alagha, and Hatch, 2011; Alagha, Hatch, Ma, Burd, 2010). YouTube video channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUd6_OcoLMs ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4BhQtcjE3g; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShNyDwqromI |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education |
| URL | http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/grants/RES-139-25-0400/outputs/Read/b60d50ce-0ff1-4546-acaa-5fff14ebed94 |
| Description | Industrial enterprise: Collaborative development with the furniture manufacturer NESS of the design and manufacture of the multi-touch tables in the SynergyNet classroom, extended with£15k grant from OneNorthEast. NESS' contributions allowed us to conduct our experimental work with tables meeting the health and safety requirements of schools several years before commercial availability. In turn, their involvement has enabled them to bid for capital funding to support business-use of multi-touch. Exploration of the potential of multi-touch in a museum setting has been undertaken in collaboration with staff at Bede World in Jarrow. There is current interest and discussion with Practix SRL, Tabletop Technologies for Collaboration (Italy) - and Peregrine Technologies (Canada) about the adaptation of classroom design and the orchestration tools developed in SynergyNet. Visits from Promethian, Smart and Pearson resulted in mutual benefit including Promethian donating one of their first multi-touch boards for SynergyNet to use and evaluate its usability. Society: Our infrastructure and sets of the 58 pedagogic applications have been used to teach 25 classes impacting over 400 students. We received in excess of 100 visitors including some from the US, China and Australia. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic |