Touchy feely vectors: A compensatory design approach to support model‐based reasoning in developing country classrooms

• Published in: Journal of computer assisted learning 2021-04, Vol.37 (2), p.446-474
• Main Authors: 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
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algebra; Augmentation; Classrooms; Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; cognitive augmentation; College Students; Colleges & universities; Computers; Curricula; Design; Developing countries; developing country context; Developing Nations; Digital media; Educational Technology; Electronic Learning; Field tests; Foreign Countries; Geometry; geometry‐algebra integration; Interaction; Interactive systems; LDCs; Learning; Learning Problems; Lesson Plans; Mathematical analysis; Mathematics Instruction; model‐based reasoning; Reasoning; Requirements analysis; Simulation; STEM Education; Students; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Textbooks; Thinking Skills; vectors; Vectors (mathematics)
• ISSN: 0266-4909; 1365-2729
• DOI: 10.1111/jcal.12500

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. Lay description What is already known about this topic Computational modelling is central to model‐based reasoning (MBR) in contemporary scientific practice. Education needs to change to support this new way of thinking. However, it is not clear how this could be done systematically in developing countries. Textbooks are thus not replaceable in developing nation contexts, and any digital media designed to help develop model‐based reasoning in students would need to work with textbooks and existing teaching/learning practice. It is unclear how this could be done. When learning basic model‐based reasoning using static textbook media, students struggle with core MBR topics like vectors. What this paper adds The paper reports a 3‐year design‐based study, where a vector simulation system was developed (Touchy‐Feely Vectors), which addressed the following issues. Addressing 2 above, the study illustrates a design that builds on static textbook media and associated pra