Circuit in pieces: understanding electricity from electrons to light bulbs

Authors:
Elham Beheshti;Colin Fitzpatrick;Alexis Hope;Anne Marie Piper;Michael Horn
Affiliations:
Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA;Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA;Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA;Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA;Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
Venue:
CHI '13 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Year:
2013

Citing 2
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Research through design as a method for interaction design research in HCI

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Touch projector: mobile interaction through video

Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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Abstract

Electrical circuits are difficult to understand. Novices tend to have incorrect understandings of what happens at the level of atoms and electrons in a circuit, which leads to difficulty in understanding and predicting the outcomes of various electrical circuits. We are designing an interactive learning tool called Circuit in Pieces (CiP) that enables learners to interact with representations of electrical circuits at both a micro and a macro level. Using a research through design process that includes interviews and sessions with six students, we explore different approaches for interacting in and between levels. In this paper, we offer preliminary results and design implications for supporting switching between macro and micro level views.