We present G-nome Surfer 2.0, a tabletop interface for fostering inquiry-based learning of genomics. We conducted an experimental study with 48 participants that compared students' learning of genomic concepts using existing bioinformatics tools and using two alternative implementations of G-nome Surfer: a collaborative multimouse GUI and a tabletop interface. Our findings indicate that G-nome Surfer improves students' performance, reduces workload, and increases enjoyment. The comparison of tabletop and multi-mouse implementations further shows that the tabletop condition results in four educational benefits: 1) increasing physical participation, 2) encouraging reflection, 3) fostering effective collaboration, and 4) facilitating more intuitive interaction.

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Multi-touch and tangible interfaces provide unique opportunities for enhancing learning and discovery with big data. However, existing interaction techniques have limitations when manipulating large data sets. Our goal is to define novel interaction techniques for multi-touch and tangible interfaces, which support the construction of complex queries for big data. In this paper, we present results from a study, which investigates the use of gestural interaction with active tokens for manipulating large data sets. In particular, we studied user expectations of a hybrid tangible and gestural language engaging this space. Our main results include a vocabulary of user-defined gestures for interaction with active tokens, which extends beyond familiar multi-touch gestures; characterization of the design space of gestural interaction with active tokens; and insight into participants' mental models, including common metaphors. We also present implications for the design of multi-touch and tangible interfaces with active tokens.

We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of GreenTouch, a collaborative environment that enables novice users to engage in authentic scientific inquiry. GreenTouch consists of a mobile user interface for capturing data in the field, a web application for data curation in the "cloud," and a tabletop interface for exploratory analysis of heterogeneous data. This paper contributes: 1) the design, implementation, and validation of a collaborative environment which allows novices to engage in scientific data capture, curation, and analysis; 2) empirical evidence for the feasibility and value of integrating interactive surfaces in college-level education based on an in situ study with 54 undergraduate students; and 3) insights collected through iterative design, providing concrete lessons and guidelines for designing multi-touch interfaces for collaborative inquiry of complex domains. AUTHOR KEYWORDSTabletop; multi-touch interaction; collaborative learning. ACM CLASSIFICATION KEYWORDSH.5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI): Miscellaneous.

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