Interpersonal Computers for Higher Education

An interpersonal computer is a computer on which several persons can interact at the same time, in the same place. Whereas personal computers’ input devices (keyboard and mouse) and displays (individual screen) are adapted to a single user, interpersonal computers enable distributed control by multiple inputs and are equipped with public displays, where the result of a computation can be shared by a group of users. In this chapter, we explore the design and use of interpersonal computers for higher education through the discussion of two specific examples developed in our lab – a table and a lamp. In particular, we discuss how the introduction of these novel pieces of technology coherently complements the use of personal computers in an integrated learning scenario.