An experimental digital learning environment with universal accessibility

Today, digital media are an integral part of most people’s daily routine. Therefore, tablets, smartphones and the internet have become increasingly important at school, as well. At the same time, digitisation offers great potential for teaching highly heterogeneous learning groups individually and comprehensively. However, the use of digital media at German schools is still in its infancy. In order to create a basis for the successful implementation of digital media in teaching, it is necessary to generate profound knowledge about the effectiveness of digital learning environments regarding heterogeneous learning groups. Within this framework, we develop and evaluate a digital learning environment for lower secondary classrooms (age group 13–14) in this project. The aim of the study is to determine the effects of the use of tablet computers in different teaching phases on the students’ learning outcome. In order to analyse the effectiveness of the tablets in the classroom, we assess the expertise knowledge of the students before and after the teaching unit as well as the students’ attitude towards the teaching unit and towards working with tablet computers. With the help of a screen-capture-software, it is possible to retrace the students’ action steps while working with the tablets. Additionally, the lessons are filmed to compare the work behaviour of the learners with and without tablets. Furthermore, the cognitive abilities and the self-concept of the students are determined. This paper focuses on the development and design of the study, as the evaluation has not yet been completed.