Remote Collaborative Multi-user Informal Learning Experiences: Design and Evaluation

This paper presents a customizable system used to develop a collaborative multi-user problem solving game. It addresses the increasing demand for appealing informal learning experiences in museum-like settings. The system facilitates remote collaboration by allowing groups of learners to communicate through a videoconferencing system and by allowing them to simultaneously interact through a shared multi-touch interactive surface. A user study with 20 user groups indicates that the game facilitates collaboration between local and remote groups of learners. The videoconference and multitouch surface acted as communication channels, attracted students’ interest, facilitated engagement, and promoted interand intra-group collaboration— favoring intra-group collaboration. Our findings suggest that augmenting videoconferencing systems with a shared multitouch space offers new possibilities and scenarios for remote collaborative environments and collaborative learning.