From the April-June 2013 issue

Preparing for Future Learning with a Tangible User Interface: The Case of Neuroscience

By Bertrand Schneider, Jenelle Wallace, Paulo Blikstein, and Roy Pea

In this paper, we describe the development and evaluation of a microworld-based learning environment for neuroscience. Our system, BrainExplorer, allows students to discover the way neural pathways work by interacting with a tangible user interface. By severing and reconfiguring connections, users can observe how the visual field is impaired and, thus, actively learn from their exploration. An ecological evaluation of BrainExplorer revealed that 1) students who engaged in the open-ended exploration outperformed students who used traditional textbook materials and 2) correctly sequencing activities is fundamental for improving student performance. Participants who used the tabletop first and then studied a text significantly outperformed participants who read a text first and then used the tabletop. Additionally, those results were best predicted by the quality of students' verbalizations while using BrainExplorer. The implications of this study for preparing students for future learning with Tangible User Interfaces are discussed.

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Editorials and Announcements

Announcements

• We are pleased to announce that Peter Brusilovsky, a Professor and Chair at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate Program in Information Science, School of Information Sciences, is the new Editor in Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies starting in 2013.
• TLT celebrates its 5th anniversary
• eBooks of issues of TLT can now be downloaded from the Computer Society Digital Library
• Open access is now available for the April-June 2012 Issue of TLT.
• Open access is now available for the January-March 2012 Issue of TLT.
• Open access is now available for all 2008-2011 Issues of TLT.

Editorials

• EIC Editorial and Introduction of New Associate Editors (April-June 2013)
• Editorial: A Message from the Editorial Team and an Introduction to the January-March 2013 Issue (Jan-March 2013)
• EIC Team Farewell and New EIC Team Introduction (Jan-March 2013)
• Editorial (Oct-Dec 2012)
• EIC Editorial (July-Sept 2012)
• EIC Editorial and Introduction of New Associate Editors (April-June 2012)
• Editorial (Jan-March 2012)

Guest Editorials

• Special Section on Semantic Technologies for Learning and Teaching Support in Higher Education (April-June 2012)
• Special Issue on Intelligent and Innovative Support Systems for CSCL (Jan-Mar 2011)

Call for Papers

• Ongoing call for papers for TLT

Reviewers List

• The 2012 TLT Reviewers List is now available. (PDF)

Annual Index

• The 2012 TLT Annual Index is now available. (PDF)

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Upcoming Special Issues

• Special Issue on Social Computing and Social Knowledge for E-Learning
• Special Issue on Learning Systems for Science and Technology Education

IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies is a joint publication of the IEEE Computer Society and the IEEE Education Society

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