Intelligent Edutab Box: Supporting Real-Time Face-to-Face Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Educational benefits of collaborative learning have been demonstrated in several studies and various systems have been developed to date. Numerous efforts have been made to enhance these benefits by supporting collaborative learning with information and communications technology. These efforts have primarily involved support for constructing collaborative learning groups, for collaborative learning in e-learning environments, and for collaborative learning analysis. This study aims to develop a computer-supported collaborative learning system that supports instructors in real time to facilitate collaborative learning in a face-to-face environment with multiple learners at the same time to provide enhanced support. Both the learner and instructor have one tablet terminal and conduct collaborative learning in a single classroom. Herein, the learner can use the tablet to save an educational log and freely browse the educational log of another learner. By referencing the educational logs, learners can learn through face-to-face communication. Additionally, the instructor can determine (1) who is viewing whose educational log and to what extent and (2) which learner is struggling to achieve targets. Herein, an overview of the proposed system is provided and the results obtained using the proposed system are reported to evaluate its effectiveness.