Exploring Auditory Graphing Software in the Classroom: The Effect of Auditory Graphs on the Classroom Environment
Brianna J. Tomlinson, Jared Batterman, Yee Chieh Chew, Ashley Henry, Bruce N. Walker · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing · doi:10.1145/2994606
Summary
This study examines the real-world deployment of GNIE (Graph and Number line Input and Exploration), an auditory graphing software developed by Georgia Tech's Sonification Lab, in a middle school math classroom at the Georgia Academy for the Blind over two school years (2012-2013). The research addresses a gap in understanding how assistive educational technologies affect the classroom ecosystem—not just student performance, but teacher workload, lesson planning, and classroom dynamics. Traditional tactile graphics (push-pins on foam boards, rubber bands, embossed Braille graphs) require specialized equipment, extensive preparation time, and produce materials that are bulky and inflexible. GNIE maps horizontal position to x-coordinates, vertical position to y-coordinates via pitch, and uses distinct sounds for points, tick marks, and axes. The study employed an ethnographically-inspired approach: teacher interviews throughout deployment, student focus groups with surveys, and video-recorded classroom observations comparing GNIE days to tactile materials days.
Key findings
The data revealed dramatic shifts in classroom dynamics when using GNIE. Teachers spent significantly less time lecturing to the whole class on GNIE days (M=612 seconds vs M=3895 seconds for tactile days, p<.01), while spending significantly more time with individual students (up to 68% of class time vs 39% for tactile lessons). This shift occurred because GNIE reduced setup time and allowed students to work independently at their own pace. Student attitudes toward computer graphs improved significantly over the semester—they found them less annoying and felt they performed better with them. Students reported that auditory cues helped them orient on graphs and locate points, and four students claimed GNIE helped them during standardized testing by triggering mental recollections of the sounds. Critically, GNIE enabled collaboration between students with different vision levels (blind and low-vision) because they shared the same auditory medium, whereas tactile materials created barriers between Braille and large-print users. However, students were not ready to abandon tactile methods entirely—they preferred GNIE as a supplement that provided "another way of getting at what they need to know."
Relevance
This research provides a model for evaluating assistive educational technology beyond simple task performance metrics. For practitioners developing accessible STEM tools, three design principles emerged: compatibility (work with existing classroom tools like Braille translators), distributability (easy file sharing between teacher and student workstations), and flexibility (allow customization of auditory cues and graph types). The finding that a shared auditory medium enabled cross-disability collaboration challenges assumptions about modality-specific accommodations—accessible tools should consider how they affect peer interaction, not just individual access. Organizations deploying assistive technology should expect iterative refinement based on real classroom use and should measure impact on teacher workload, as reduced preparation time may be the key factor in adoption. The 2-year longitudinal design demonstrates the value of sustained deployment studies over one-time usability tests.
Tags: auditory displays · sonification · STEM accessibility · educational technology · visual impairment · mathematics education · assistive technology
Standards referenced: Common Core