Smart Study: Pen and Paper-Based

E-Learning

Dieter Van Thienen, Pejman Sajjadi and Olga De Troyer

Abstract Smart Study is an educational platform allowing learners to continue

using pen and paper for exercise solving, accomplished by using a digital pen and
Anoto paper. Handwritten solutions are digitalized, automatically corrected, and ani-
mated feedback is provided by means of a tablet device. By using pen and paper,
read-write learners can still use their preferred learning method while other types of
learners can practice their handwriting. The use of a tablet for feedback and addi-
tional information makes it a lightweight and mobile platform, easy to use by chil-
dren. The platform was evaluated by means of a case study involving a group of 15
children, showing that they were more motivated than usual and enjoyed making
exercises using the Smart Study platform.

Keywords E-Learning ⋅ Digital pen ⋅ Interactive paper ⋅ Tablet ⋅ Read-write

learners

1 Introduction

With the emergence of tablets, smartphones, and e-readers, one can question whether
pen and paper still has some use. Information on paper is static, while being dis-
played on a screen it can become dynamic, allowing adaptation to the individual.
Those devices also become increasingly affordable for a larger audience. A paper-
less environment seems to become a realistic scenario. Even school environments go

D. Van Thienen (✉) ⋅ P. Sajjadi ⋅ O. De Troyer

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Department of Computer Science, WISE,
Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
e-mail: dvthiene@vub.ac.be
P. Sajjadi
e-mail: ssajjadi@vub.ac.be
O. De Troyer
e-mail: Olga.DeTroyer@vub.ac.be

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015 93

V.L. Uskov et al. (eds.), Smart Education and Smart e-Learning,
Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 41,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-19875-0_9
94 D.V. Thienen et al.

along with this evolution by using computers, tablets, and other electronic devices
for teaching and learning.
But as this digital shift happens, the traditional way of writing with a pen on paper
tends to disappear. Writing with a pen on paper is progressively being replaced by
typing on a keyboard or writing with a stylus on a capacitive screen. Whether this
is a desirable evolution from an educational point of view is an issue of discussion,
with arguments that are for and against. However, rather than joining one of the two
sides, we have investigated what could be done in order to go along with this digital
evolution, while keeping children stimulated to keep practising their handwriting.
Instead of replacing pen and paper by modern technology, we propose to combine
them. This could preserve the advantages of reading and writing on paper, while
at the same time providing the advantages of digital information. Digital pens, i.e.,
pens that can digitally capture what is written on paper, make this possible.
Smart Study is an educational platform using a digital pen and paper for writ-
ing and combining this with a tablet for providing digital feedback and informa-
tion. Smart Study aims at supporting learners to practice, i.e., exercise solving, more
autonomously while at the same time stimulating their handwriting. The digital pen
writes like a normal pen, but can digitally capture everything written down on,
so-called, interactive paper. Next, intelligent character recognition is used to make
sense of what has been written. A tablet app automatically corrects the handwritten
answers, providing feedback in an animated way on how to correctly solve the exer-
cises. The app also provides an overview of the exercises made by the learner. All
data is stored in a database, which can be consulted for generating reports. Since all
answers are corrected automatically, the teacher’s work is relieved as well. Currently,
primary school children are targeted, but the approach is not limited to this group.
The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 presents related work. Section 3 dis-
cusses the importance of paper, Sect. 4 presents the Smart Study platform and Sect. 5
its evaluation. Section 6 provides conclusions and future work.

2 Related Work

There are plenty of tablet apps for educational purposes, see e.g., Apple Store or
Google play. These will not be discussed. On the Livescribe store, there are also
a few digital pen applications for educational purposes. These apps either use the
display of the pen or the speakers to provide feedback to the learner. For instance, the
SpellingMe app tests students on spelling words for students grades 1–5. The student
has to spell a word, pronounced through the speaker, and the Smartpen provides aural
feedback on the correctness of the spelling.
The LeapReader, provided by LeapFrog [1], is a digital pen for children age
4–8 that sounds out words, guides letter strokes, and helps build comprehension.
In the past, the company produced the Fly digital pen, a pen similar to the Live-
scribe pen, but in 2009 the company discontinued both the manufacture and support
of this pen. LeapFrog also has the LeapPad tablet, a learning tablet for children age
Smart Study: Pen and Paper-Based E-Learning 95

3–9. However, it is not clear whether there are apps that combine the digital pen and
the tablet.
Although different researchers have proposed to augment paper by managing the
link between handwritten and digital information (e.g., [2–4]), as far as we are aware,
there are no educational apps combining pen/paper and a tablet. The only application
using pen/paper interaction with feedback on a tablet that we came across is a game.
Golem Arcana is a digitally enhanced board game [5], using a Tabletop Digital Inter-
face Stylus which can read micro codes that are printed on the game pieces and over
the terrain art of the board’s regions. Players move their characters by tapping the
appropriate game pieces with the stylus. The results are displayed on a tablet that is
running the Golem Arcana app.
Some researchers investigated the use of a digital pen to improve learning. In [6],
pen-based input in combination with groupware was used to facilitate interaction
during computer science courses. However, no pen and paper but a tablet and a sty-
lus were used for the writing. Miura et al. did a number of studies using a digital
pen in a classroom [7–9]. In 2005, they developed AirTransNote [7], a digital pen
learning system based on an ultrasonic digital pen (Inklink) and PDAs used to trans-
mit the student’s notes from Inklink to the teacher’s PC via wireless LAN. In [9], an
improved system was presented using an Anoto-based digital pen. The system was
used to investigate the class activity and motivation of the children when adopting it
to write calculations and draw diagrams. The results show that most children were
more motivated, concentrated and enjoyed the lecture more.

3 Importance of Paper

The paperless office is a concept that has already been discussed for some time
[10, 11] and it seems that this discussion has reached the classroom environment as
well, questioning the need to practice handwriting. Recently [12], it was announced
that from 2016 in Finnish schools, primary school children’s typing skills would be
stimulated instead of their handwriting. The proponents argue that handwriting has
become useless in the digital age, as everybody will use computers and tablets in
the future for communication. The opponents point out that handwriting helps chil-
dren develop fine motor skills and brain functions [13], but proponents argue that
this can also be achieved by handicrafts and drawing lessons. On the other hand,
recent research [14] shows that students taking notes on laptops performed worse on
conceptual questions than students who took notes longhand.
In 2003, Sellen and Harper [11] extensively discussed advantages and disadvan-
tages of a paperless office. Although technology has evolved since then, some of their
arguments are still valid: (1) For a lot of people, paper is still the preferred way of
reading and writing. You simply pick up the paper and start reading, or pick up a pen
and start writing. Electronic devices can simulate this, but writing on a capacitive
screen with a stylus does not provide the same experience as writing with a pen on
paper [15]; (2) Electronic devices are dependent on a power source. Paper does not
96 D.V. Thienen et al.

need this. Although your pen could run out of ink, this is a very low-cost replace-
ment; (3) Physical paper is still a common method of information exchange. Even
today, although there is a computer on almost every office desk, a lot of paper is still
used, often side-to-side with one or more screens; (4) Clicking or scrolling to pages
in a digital way will never be as fast as doing this with real paper. Today, this still
holds. However, an advantage of digital use is the ability to jump to a specific page,
or searching for terms; (5) The use of space. In their case study, the subjects who
used physical paper had no problems in spreading out the papers, cross-referencing
to other papers, and were able to manipulate and rearrange physical documents eas-
ily. In the digital way, the subjects were frustrated by the limited ability of doing
the same tasks. This is a problem that is hard to solve by simply using flat screens.
Larger or multiple displays allow you to place a few documents next to each other,
but manipulating and rearranging documents is still frustrating.
A similar discussion can be held for a school environment. In [16], Thayer
describes the urge of schools to use e-readers as a replacement for printed textbooks,
but also warns for the impact it can have on students. He questions the gain with
e-readers, such as a possible decrease in costs, and what is lost when abandoning
paper.
Besides the pros and contras that have been mentioned, we want to add an addi-
tional argument in favor of pen and paper in a learning environment. Different peda-
gogues have reported that individuals differ in how they learn (e.g., [17]), i.e., there
are systematic differences in individuals’ methods used to acquire and process infor-
mation in learning situations. Different theories have been proposed that classify
learning patterns into so-called learning styles. A commonly used categorization is
the VARK model [18]. It categorizes learning into four major styles based on the
preferred method in which stimuli are taken in. Visual learners have a preference for
seeing (pictures, diagrams, etc.). Auditory learners have a preference for informa-
tion that is heard or spoken (lectures, conversations, etc.) including talking to one-
self. Read-write learners have a preference for written text and acquire and process
information by writing it down. Kinesthetic learners learn best when carrying out a
physical activity. In practice, learners may use a mixture of different learning styles.
According to this theory, the use of pen and paper is indispensable for people
with a read-write learning style. One could argue that writing could be replaced by
typing, but this may not be as effective for read-write learners. Recent research [14]
has found that learning is more effective by writing than typing.
Learning style theories have been criticized by many researchers because they
would lack a scientific basis and there would be a lack of evidence (e.g.,
[19, 20]). Whether this criticism is justified or not, it is a fact that read-write has
always been, and still is, the dominant learning style applied in traditional educa-
tion. To study, children and students are given textbooks and (paper) notebooks.
Although the learning material is usually also explained aurally and sometimes also
demonstrated, in the end, learners are supposed to use the textbooks for studying,
are asked to write reports, essays, solve exercises, and are stimulated to write down
what they need to learn as much as possible.
Smart Study: Pen and Paper-Based E-Learning 97

It is clear that there is no easy solution for schools to adapt to a modern environ-
ment in such a way that learning is improved and the budget is decreased. It looks like
paper is something that cannot be easily replaced by electronic devices in a school
environment. So instead of trying to replace paper by modern technology, why not
combining both?

4 Smart Study Platform

Smart Study is an educational platform that allows children to practice (i.e., make
exercises) more autonomously while at the same time stimulating their handwriting.
The platform is composed of a digital pen, exercise sheets (Anoto paper), and a
tablet. We first discuss the technology used to realize the platform; next we present
the architecture; and subsequently the workings of the platform.

4.1 Technology Used

The digital pen used is the Livescribe Echo Smartpen [21]. This pen writes like
a normal pen but can capture everything written on paper, using a tiny infra-red
digital camera next to the pressure tip of the pen, which is activated every time you
write something down on the paper. The paper contains an Anoto dotted pattern
[22]. These are tiny printed dots (hardly noticeable) that have unique positions, so
the camera in the digital pen can determine the exact location of the tip of the pen
on the paper. The pen has a small display that can present information when certain
actions have been done, a microphone to record audio, and a built-in speaker that can
play back audio. The pen also has built-in memory that can be used to store what has
been captured. It also has a processor and a built-in Intelligent Character Recognition
(ICR) engine, which is used to recognize the handwriting. This pen has a micro-
USB connector to connect it via a cable to a computer device. Newer Livescribe
Smartpens have the ability of connecting to a computer device, tablet, or smartphone
in a wireless way via Bluetooth or WiFi. However at the time of development, we
did not have an SDK for these newer pens at our disposal. Therefore, we decided to
develop a prototype with the Echo pen for which the SDK was at our disposal.
The digital pen and dot paper are used by the learner to solve exercises. An
Android tablet app is used for providing feedback to the learner on the correctness of
his or her solutions. Since tablet devices are light, mobile, and easy to use by provid-
ing a touch screen, this was preferred over the use of a laptop or a desktop computer.
Android was deliberately chosen because of the wide variety of available tablets in
different price ranges.
98 D.V. Thienen et al.

4.2 Livescribe Platform

In order to develop an application for the Echo pen, two components need to be
developed: a Penlet and a Paper Design, supported by the Livescribe SDK. A Penlet
is the application running on the pen that allows interactions, such as tapping or
writing, and can detect specific regions on the dot paper, called active regions. These
active regions are defined in a Paper Design, which is software deployed onto the pen
to know the layout of the dot paper. Such a Paper Design can contain static regions
of different shapes with specifically defined functions by linking them to a Penlet.
A developer can define these regions, add images and text to the paper, generate the
dotted pattern overlay, and finally produce Adobe PostScript files, which can then be
printed by a qualitative Laser printer.
To use the application, the Penlet and the Paper Design need to be installed on
the pen. The Penlet can be activated by navigating to it using the Smartpen’s menu
or by directly interacting with the printed dot paper.

4.3 Architecture

Figure 1 presents the main components of the platform. Because the SDK of the
Echo pen does not allow direct communication with a tablet, a laptop was used as a
communication bridge. Next, there is a SQL database (accessible over the Internet)
in which correct solutions and feedback, as well as the data about the progress of the
individual students, are stored.

Fig. 1 Main components of the Smart Study platform

Smart Study: Pen and Paper-Based E-Learning 99

4.4 Workings of Smart Study

Before learners can start using the platform, the exercise sheets need to be prepared,
i.e., creating the Paper Designs, the corresponding Penlet, and the tablet feedback.
Currently, this must be done by software engineers. However, we aim at having an
authoring tool that is easily usable by instructional designers, focusing on the content
and generating the necessary software automatically. Such a tool is currently under
development.
When exercise sheets are available (see e.g., Fig. 2), the learner starts by picking
out a sheet and turning on the pen. The Smart Study Penlet is automatically activated
when interacting with a recognized exercise sheet. The learner fills out the exercise
page by writing the answers in the corresponding answer regions of the paper. Space
outside these active answer regions is provided to allow the learner to work out the
solution. Every time an answer is written in an answer region, it is recognized, stored,
and displayed on the display of the pen. Exercises can be left open. The learner
ends by tapping inside the area that displays the text Ik ben klaar! (Dutch for “I am
ready!”). A text message (on the display of the pen), as well as a voice message is
provided to inform the learner that the answers are saved successfully. An XML file
containing the answers is automatically built and stored on the internal memory of
the pen.
Next, the data captured on the pen has to be stored into the database. As mentioned
before, this is done by connecting the pen (with a micro-USB cable) to a computer
running the synchronisation program, which will automatically execute the entire
process cycle, including the processing of the information, comparing the answers
with the solutions, and storing the data into the database. The learner can now switch
to the tablet to get feedback. In order to do this, the Smart Study app needs to be
launched. An active Internet connection is required. After authentication, the home
screen is presented, providing the choice between correcting answers and viewing
an overview of all results obtained so far.
When the learner opts for correcting the handwritten answers, the app will load
the data related to the sheets filled out by the learner. The screen will show an
overview of all the exercises on the sheet: the questions, the recognized answers, and
an indication whether the answers were correct or not. Correct answers are shown
in green, incorrect answers in red along with the correct answer in blue. See Fig. 3
for an example screen. The learner can tap an exercise to obtain feedback on how to
correctly solve the exercise (static text or animated feedback).
A demonstration video was created and uploaded to Youtube,1 showcasing the
final product.

1
http://youtu.be/eoEacSLyfOY.
100 D.V. Thienen et al.

Fig. 2 Example of an
exercise sheet

5 Evaluation

A pilot evaluation has been performed to obtain a first evaluation of the platform.
The evaluation was conducted in three primary schools, having 5 children of the
fifth grade participating per school (age 10 or 11): 7 boys (47 %) and 8 girls (53 %).
Different schools were involved because of a possible difference in attitude towards
the use of new technology and experience with educational software.
The evaluation was done individually, using math exercises. First, the child was
asked for his or her experience with computers and tablets, and experience with edu-
cational software. Next, a brief explanation of the platform was given to the child,
where after the child had to solve the math exercises using the platform. Subse-
quently, we did a structured interview with the child to elicit the child’s opinion
about the platform. In addition, and after all children of one school did the evalu-
ation, an additional structured interview was done with the teacher of that class to
obtain his or her opinion. The questionnaires used for the children and teachers were
Smart Study: Pen and Paper-Based E-Learning 101

Fig. 3 Example of a solution screen on the tablet

based on the questions in [23]. The math knowledge of a child was obtained from
the teacher (i.e., average of the child’s math scores).
During the experiment, we observed the attitude of the child, as well as the accu-
racy of the handwriting recognition and the pen grip of the child. Because the hand-
writing of children is still developing, it was important to evaluate the accuracy of
the built-in ICR. When an answer was recognized incorrectly, we asked the child to
write it once more. This way, the child was not penalized for the misrecognition, and
the overall accuracy of the ICR could be calculated based on the amount of retries.
Because the pen is rather big and thick for a child, we also wanted to evaluate the
child’s pen grip and whether a bad grip would have an impact on the ICR.
The results of this pilot evaluation were positive. The ICR accuracy of the pen was
very high (on average 97.39 %), keeping in mind that these are handwritten notes
conducted by children. Most children had a good pen grip (11 out of 15) as well.
For 11 children the handwriting recognition was 100 % accurate; 9 of them having
a good pen grip and 2 having a bad pen grip but a neat and clean handwriting. For
3 children the handwriting recognition was below 90 % accuracy; 2 of them having
a bad pen grip and a bad handwriting. The other child had a good pen grip, but
wrote the number 1 in such a way that the ICR interpreted it as 7. All children were
excited and enjoyed using the platform. They found it fun and easy to work with.
Compared to their average performance in math, they performed better than usual.
They were more motivated and were actively working with the tablet app, closely
studying the feedback for an exercise they filled out wrong. However, because of the
limited number of participants, it is not possible to draw general conclusions here.
The teachers were asked more reflective questions regarding the potential of the
platform and how the platform could be improved. All teachers were satisfied with
the current state of the platform. They also indicated that this platform would be ideal
for children with learning problems. A common remark was the need to connect
102 D.V. Thienen et al.

the pen to a computer using a USB cable. This can however be eliminated when
using a wireless pen which is able to directly connect to the tablet. All teachers also
questioned the cost of the platform in a regular class environment, as in principle one
pen is needed per student. However, all teachers were positive about the potential of
Smart Study and rated it above other digital learning platforms, already being used
by the schools. More details on the evaluation can be found in [24].

6 Conclusion

In this paper, the Smart Study educative platform is introduced. Smart Study is an
innovative platform that combines the use of digital pen and paper for input, with a
tablet device for feedback. The platform was evaluated by means of a case study
involving a group of 15 children, age 10–11. The ICR accuracy of the pen was
very high (on average 97.39 %), while the children were more motivated than usual
and enjoyed making exercises using the Smart Study platform. Their teachers were
enthusiastic as well, but questioned the cost of its use in a classroom environment.
However, the platform could also perform well in a remediation situation, at home,
or for children that are hospitalized.
In future work, we will investigate the replacement of the Echo pen by a wireless
digital pen allowing to have direct communication between the pen and the tablet. We
are also considering creating a Web application for the feedback instead of (or next
to) the native tablet app, so it could be used on a broader range of devices. Currently,
we are working on an authoring tool to support the creation of new courses and
exercise sheets. Such a tool will allow instructional designers to easily create the
Paper Designs, Penlets, and feedback screens.

Acknowledgments We like to thank the children, teachers, and schools involved in the evaluation.

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