Assignment 4: Emotion design probe

For this assignment, our group took the ethnographic study approach to improve the learning experience in lecture theatres.

We

• Familiarize ourselves with the environment

• Collect information we are exposed to

• Make notes on everything that we see and hear

• Take pictures

So basically we ‘shut up, listen and observe’.

In addition, we also interviewed some of our friends for their comments on learning experience in LTs.

On the whole, we categorized them into ‘human factors’ and ‘physical factors’. Below are the observations.

Human factors

Student behavior – group

• Late-coming

• Students would choose to sit by the stairs rather than move up to the front seats. This could be because they are late for class and thus are embarrassed to move to the front seats if they enter from the back door.
• Students also love to book seats for their late-coming friends and as such, they cause distraction for those sitting by the side, front and back because they’ll be like “sorry sorry sorry, excuse me excuse me!”

• Chit-chatting
• Lots of talking among students except those sitting directly in front of the teacher.
• Noise and restlessness among students especially after announcements.
• When there’s alternating /guest lectures, students pay less attention.
• They pay more attention to jokes and examples for instance short videos.
• Decrease in attendance if module has webcast
• Students start getting fidgety after roughly an hour when there’s no break.

Student behavior - individual

• Use of mobile phones
• Either under the table of they talk behind their lecture notes
• Even when phones are put to silent mode, the vibration of the phone still annoys people around.

• Lecture materials
• Turning of the pages of lecture notes creates noise serves as a disturbance when the lecturer continues to talk.
• Those who use laptops generally surf other websites/ chat on msn/ play games at the same time so it can distract other students. In addition, the typing sound produced can be quite irritating.
• More students are caught sleeping beginning from the middle portion to the back end of the LT.

Lecture behavior

• Unrest when the lecturer paces and wanders around the room, asking questions.
• Lecture notes should be released/printed beforehand.
• No response to lecturer’s questions unless repeatedly probed.
• LT too big à intimidating?
• No incentives awarded for answering e.g. participation points in class
• Cultural factor
• Our culture is less outspoken and since the society does not encourage failures, most students wouldn’t dare to ans the lecturer’s question for fear that the answer may be wrong and we will ‘lose face’.
• Depends on the type of questions asked
• If it’s just those polls which students just need to raise their hands up, there will be response. But if it’s those that are related to the class topic/content, everyone will keep quiet.

Physical factors

• Chairs are too far back in big LTs.
• Full space of lecture theatre not maximized
• Orange lighting and dark purple walls not conducive for studying à too dark, dreamy ambience
• Certain LTs have seats that are too near the screen. Can be straining for our neck.
• Creaking lecture doors are a distraction.
• Air-con too cold for comfort
• Table too small and spoilt ones are not even repaired!
• Limited leg space between rows.

Conclusion

Ultimately, how well a person learns depends on their determination to learn (Assuming, of course, the lecturer is willing and able to teach). There is no way to force a person to learn things against their will. There are ways, however, to minimize annoyances which are likely to distract students – and ultimately detract – from their learning experience. This is what we shall try to reduce.

Solutions

• SOCIAL
• Early arrivals and latecomers showing consideration by moving in and allow latecomers to sit by the side
• Lecturer provides notes beforehand.
• TECHNICAL
• Adjust air-conditioning, oil doors, remove faulty equipment

Proposals

• Tablet PC
  

This writing pen omits the sound created by typing on laptops.

This earpiece prevents the student from getting distracted by surrounding noise created by chit-chatting among other students, laptop ‘typing’, noisy doors, mobile phones etc. this earpiece is solely connected only to the lecturer’s mic per se so that students can only hear the lecturer alone!

• Webcast all lectures
• Go at own speed, play/pause/skip/ff.
• Environmental control
• Choice between passive and interactive learning

Classmate's research:

One of the more interesting presentations is by the fengshui group. It presents learning in NUS as a whole. For instance the morning lecturers at 8am are not a very good timing due to certain factors in the fengshui saying. Although some of their suggestions to improving the learning experience is far-fetch (e.g. the omni-theatre) is not really practical, it was rather creative and maybe someday when NUS is generous enough to build such a LT, I might consider coming back to study!