The Impact of Device Orientation on Small Group Collaboration During Whole Class Game-Based Simulations

Abstract

This paper evaluated students’ collaboration when using a tablet as a shared interface during group decision making in City Settlers, an ecological simulation that supports students’ learning of interdependent systems including environmental sustainability, civics, economics, and history. While tablets are widely used in today’s K-12 classrooms, their impact on collaboration when shared among students has not been thoroughly studied. This work showed how the use of tablets as a shared game interface critically influenced students’ collaborative decision-making. By examining one group of players in the game and how they used shared displays, this work highlights the impact of the shared tablet's orientation on students’ engagement and collaborative learning processes. Of particular importance is how obstructed access to shared displays can negatively impact students' engagement and discourse over time.