Evaluating an Adaptive Multi-User Educational Tool for Low-Resource Environments

Quality primary education is a key focus in development. Educational software has the potential to help teachers provide good education. Due to limited computer resources in low-income schools, there has been substantial ICTD interest on multiple-user educational tools. Building on the foundation of research that addressed the technical problems and the human-computer-interface (HCI) concerns of multiple-input interfaces, our work on the educational game MultiLearn+ focuses on the potential educational benefits of multi-user systems. In contrast to prior ICTD multi-input educational designs, MultiLearn+ adapts the educational experience for each student within the group setting. This personalization may better meet individual students' needs. Our experimental results show that the adaptive capabilities of MultiLearn+ help even the competition between differing student backgrounds and abilities in a competitive game, increasing the probability that students will remain engaged and challenged.