Team

Dr. Alissa N. Antle (PI, research and design lead)
Dr. Alyssa Wise (NYU)
Dr. John Robinson (UBC)

Students:
Amanda Willis
Perry Tan
Rachael Eckersley
Saba Nowroozi
Jill Warren
Min Fan
Josh Tanenbaum

Other Media

Youtopia (YouTube)

Learn more here

Project Summary

Youtopia is a collaborative land-use planning activity for children implemented on a digital tabletop. Youtopia was developed to investigate issues surrounding how to design and evaluate to support children’s collaborative learning about value-laden domains such as land-use planning. The application runs using a digital tabletop. A key design strategy is to support children’s emergent dialogue around the role values play in sustainable development. Our analysis examined how interaction design supported value-based discussion, negotiation and conflict resolution between pairs of children around issues in sustainable development.

Research Objectives

Investigate design strategies for tangible-touch learning games that support interdependence and emergent dialogue in collaborative learning about value laden domains such as sustainable land development.

Social Impact Goals

Evidence for two tangible tabletop design strategies that enable effective value-based collaborative learning, productive conflict and rich dialogue in an educational sustainability simulation.

Keywords

Tangible computing, digital tabletop, value-based design, collaborative learning, children, sustainability education.

Technology

Microsoft Surface PixelSense (IR camera vision), Processing.

Community Partners

Stratford Hall Independent World School (Vancouver)

Funders

GRAND NCE, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), SSHRC Insight and NSERC Discovery.

Awards

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) Conference, Best Design nomination 2015.