Phylo-Genie: engaging students in collaborative 'tree-thinking' through tabletop techniques

Authors:
Bertrand Schneider;Megan Strait;Laurence Muller;Sarah Elfenbein;Orit Shaer;Chia Shen
Affiliations:
Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States;Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States;Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States;Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States;Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States;Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Venue:
Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Year:
2012

Citing 21
Cited 8

Embodied cognition: a field guide

Artificial Intelligence
Territoriality in collaborative tabletop workspaces

CSCW '04 Proceedings of the 2004 ACM conference on Computer supported cooperative work
Augmented Reality with Tangible Auto-Fabricated Models for Molecular Biology Applications

VIS '04 Proceedings of the conference on Visualization '04
Immersive Design of DNA Molecules with a Tangible Interface

VIS '04 Proceedings of the conference on Visualization '04
Tangible user interface for chemistry education: comparative evaluation and re-design

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Ink, Improvisation, and Interactive Engagement: Learning with Tablets

Computer
Clustal W and Clustal X version 2.0

Bioinformatics
Animated Cladograms: Interpreting Evolution from Diagrams

Diagrams '08 Proceedings of the 5th international conference on Diagrammatic Representation and Inference
Chemieraum: tangible chemistry in exhibition space

Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Tangible and Embedded Interaction
Tabletop displays for small group study: affordances of paper and digital materials

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Better bioinformatics through usability analysis

Bioinformatics
Hands on what?: comparing children's mouse-based and tangible-based interaction

Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
Around the table: are multiple-touch surfaces better than single-touch for children's collaborative interactions?

CSCL'09 Proceedings of the 9th international conference on Computer supported collaborative learning - Volume 1
Physical space and division of labor around a tabletop tangible simulation

CSCL'09 Proceedings of the 9th international conference on Computer supported collaborative learning - Volume 1
Visualizing Biodiversity with Voronoi Treemaps

ISVD '09 Proceedings of the 2009 Sixth International Symposium on Voronoi Diagrams
Actions speak loudly with words: unpacking collaboration around the table

Proceedings of the ACM International Conference on Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces
G-nome surfer: a tabletop interface for collaborative exploration of genomic data

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Futura: design for collaborative learning and game play on a multi-touch digital tabletop

Proceedings of the fifth international conference on Tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction
Supporting embodied exploration of physical concepts in mixed digital and physical interactive settings

Proceedings of the fifth international conference on Tangible, embedded, and embodied interaction
Enhancing genomic learning through tabletop interaction

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Benefits of a Tangible Interface for Collaborative Learning and Interaction

IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies

The design, development, and deployment of a tabletop interface for collaborative exploration of genomic data

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
A collaborative environment for engaging novices in scientific inquiry

Proceedings of the 2012 ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces
Orchestrating a multi-tabletop classroom: from activity design to enactment and reflection

Proceedings of the 2012 ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces
Designing tabletop activities for inquiry-based learning: lessons from phylogenetics, neuroscience and logistics

Proceedings of the 2012 ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces
FloTree: a multi-touch interactive simulation of evolutionary processes

Proceedings of the 2012 ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces
From big data to insights: opportunities and challenges for TEI in genomics

Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction
ObjecTop: occlusion awareness of physical objects on interactive tabletops

Proceedings of the 2013 ACM international conference on Interactive tabletops and surfaces
Let's jam the reactable: Peer learning during musical improvisation with a tabletop tangible interface

ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI)

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.01

Visualization

Abstract

Phylogenetic trees are representations of evolutionary relationships amongst species. Interviews of instructors and students have revealed that novice biologists have difficulty understanding phylogenetics. Moreover, misinterpretations of phylogenetics are common among college-level students. In this paper we present Phylo-Genie, a tabletop interface for fostering collaborative learning of phylogenetics. We conducted an experimental study with 56 participants, comparing students' conceptual learning and engagement using Phylo-Genie as: 1) a multi-touch tabletop interface and 2) a pen and paper activity. Our findings show that the tabletop implementation fosters collaborative learning by engaging users in the activity. We also shed light on the way in which our design principles facilitated engagement and collaborative learning in a tabletop environment.