Using Smartwatches to Assist Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in ClassHui Zheng and Vivian Genaro Motti

hzheng5@gmu.edu

Department of Information Sciences and TechnologyGeorge Mason University

We thank the study participants and the Mason Life program staff for facilitating this research project. We also thank George Mason University for the financial support and the Mason Oscar program for assisting in this project.

Acknowledgment

Wrist-worn devices are the most common form factor of wearable computers currently in use. Despite the large popularity of the wrist-worn wearables as commercial devices (Fitbit, Apple watch, Android Wear), little research has been done to explore their applications for special education. Due to their small dimensions and unobtrusiveness, wrist-worn wearables, combining mobile and wearable (M&W) technologies, have a large potential to help students with intellectual disabilities, supporting interpersonal collaboration and their assistant staff in class. To explore how wrist-worn applications can help in special education, we employed user-centered design techniques to elicit the application needs and system requirements, and developed a wearable application to assist students in class.

Abstract

Background

Methods and Process

• Continue to develop this assistive application for special education in class

• Test this demo with students and staff in the scenario of special education in class

• Refine the requirements, design and UI according to the feedback of the tests

• Extend the application to include off-class functions as well

• Survey the students’ preference of design style and UI on the wearable

• Explore the usage off the watch sensors• Test the design for robustness, scalability and

feasibility

Ongoing and Future work

The special education setting: Mason Life (masonlife.gmu.edu/) is an innovative post-secondary program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who desire a university experience in a supportive academic environment.

Sony Smartwatch SWR50 Android Phone Nexus 5x

Figure 1. Screenshots of the phone (left) and watch (right)

M&WTechnology

Semi-structured Interviews

conduct twice with 3 staff members

to elicit application requirements

Pilot Demonstration of

APP

Pebble Time Nexus 5x

to gather initial feedback in focus group

sessions

Focus Group Sessions

3 sessions with staff 2 sessions with students

each session: around one hour with 5-8 participantsIRB-approved

RequirementsAnalysis

multimedia records during the focus groups were transcribed

notes taken during the focus groups

Design Model list requirements UML: use case diagram

Android App Development

Sony SWR50Nexus 5x

Android 7.0 Nougat and Android Wear 1.5

M&W Assistive Application

In Class RequirementsMediate student mood (anxious, bored) and behavior (sleepy,

agitated)Maintain student attention and alertness for focus and

communicationCoordinate a presentation moderation of a seminar

Coordinate student collaboration in group for interpersonal communication

Present a countdown towards the end of class: snack break, question, lunch

Moderate  student  questions:  timing,  relevancy, frequencyProvide a reward, or incentive to reinforce a good behavior

Figure 2. Communication across devices