Tangible Embodied
Child-Computer
Interaction Lab

Director Dr. Alissa N. Antle
School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Simon Fraser University

About TECI

At TECI we conduct design-oriented research and train the next generation of researchers to design, build and evaluate technical innovations that improve, augment, and support children’s cognitive and emotional development.

In the TECI lab we are committed to working with diverse populations of children, particularly those that may be vulnerable or hard to reach. At TECI we are working to ensure diversity and inclusivity in our team and in our research participants across a range of social, economic, cultural, racial, ethnic, and gender groups.

Primary Research Foci: Design research, tangible interaction, embodied interaction, child-computer interaction 

Application Areas: Literacy, social-emotional learning, mindfulness, sustainability education, social justice, aboriginal heritage

Current Projects

Investigation of Participatory and Codesign Methods in Research with Children

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Virtual Reality Emotion Regulation for Youth

Investigates VR usage for supporting emotion regulation with youth.

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Biowearables Workshop

Exploring Impacts and Values of Biowearables and Children

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No Child Alone

COVID-19 Support System for Children and their Caregiving Stakeholders

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The Mind-Full Series

A Brain-Tablet App for Self-Regulation for Children

read more

People

Dr. Antle is a tenured Professor in the School of Interactive Arts + Technology at Simon Fraser University, Canada. Dr. Antle holds the highest honour for a Canadian scholar through her induction as a member of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, which acknowledges her as one of Canada's intellectual leaders. Dr. Antle's impact extends to the international community through her recognition as a leader in ethical child-centered technology research.

Alex Kitson

Postdoc Researcher

Annemiek Veldhuis

PhD Student

Priscilla Lo

MSc Student

Sadhbh Kenny

MA Student
Katrien Jacobs

Triane Tambay

Lab Manager triane_tambay@sfu.ca

Ashu Adhikari

Research Assistant

Kenneth Karthik

Research Assitant

James Yoo

Web Developer

Elsa Sinuhaji

Graphic Designer

News & Events

Congratulations to @annemiekaudiofreak for passing her comprehensive PhD candidacy exam with flying colours. We are so proud of you! #tecilab #tecilablife #siat #teci #researcher #childcomputerinteraction #fablearn #hci #teciresearch #sfugraduatestudent #phdcandidate ...

Come work with us!

Who You Are

You are a current SFU student or recent graduate who is pursuing a career in web development or graphic design. You have at least 1 year of web development experience working with existing WordPress plugins as well as custom plugins developed for websites. You are a self starter and have strong communication skills. You have an eye for design and can create user friendly web experiences. Experience with web front-end development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as back-end development with PHP and working with remote Apache servers through SSH.

What You’ll Do

You will be responsible for updating, managing and maintaining back-ups of WordPress websites’ back-end including plugins, tools, and database, identify and implement plug-ins to support searchable database for academic publications, monitored websites’ performance and handle troubleshooting and WordPress issues.

You must be available to attend meetings and provide progress reports, be a strong self starter, have a clear and timely communication style and be able to work with minimal supervision.

See the link in our bio to apply.

#tecilab #teciishiring #research #werehiring #academiclife #wordpress #tech #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #canadianuniversities #sfugraduatestudent
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TECI Lab outing at Signals! There are so many great examples of how technology can be harnessed for storytelling at this exhibition. It runs for the week and we highly recommend it! ...

🚨Research participants needed 🚨

Why we need you:

We want to learn about how young people use VRChat when they’re dealing with big emotions and how you envision social VR could be used to better support youth mental health. We are looking for youth aged 13-24 years old who have a trust rank of “new user” or above to participate.

This study has two parts:

Part 1 - Expression of interest online survey that will take about 10 minutes.

Part 2 - Interview in VRChat itself to talk about and walk us through your experiences for 30-60 minutes.

Honorarium: by completing the interview, you will receive a gift card.

For more information: send a DM or go directly to the expression of interest form through the link in our bio

If you know any young users of VRChat, we would really appreciate if you could share this info with them as well 🙂

#research #sfu #emotions #vrchat #teens
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It’s National Postdoc Appreciation Week! We would like to shout out our appreciation for TECI’s own Alexandra Kitson. Her area of interest centers around digital health for adolescents and is currently working on designing virtual reality-based emotion regulation supports for teens.

To learn more about the amazing work Alexandra is up to, see the links in our bio for their most recent list of publications and check out SFU’s article celebrating other SFU PostDocs.

Photo courtesy of SFU.

@alexandrakitson #AlexKitson #tecilab #sfu #snapshotsofsiat #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #researcher #postdoc #SFUcommunity #SFUpostdoctoralassociation #sfugraduatestudent
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Congratulations to Jillian L. Warren, Alissa N. Antle, Alexandra Kitson and Alireza Davoodi for their publication “A codesign study exploring needs, strategies, and opportunities for digital health platforms to address pandemic-related impacts on children and families” in the International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction.

Abstract

In this paper we contribute seven design opportunities for future digital health platforms, like Private Social Networks (PSNs), focused on supporting the (un)met mental health and socioemotional needs of children (8-12 years old) and their supporting adults (parents and teachers) in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. These were derived from the thematic analysis of a two-phase co-design study with children, their parents, and their teachers (Phase 1), and employees at our industry partner Curatio.me (Phase 2). Our thematic findings contribute understanding about the types of experiences children, families and educators have had, and open the conversation around designing digital health platforms that can support mental health and socioemotional wellbeing in children and their supporting adults. Through individualized tracking, social capabilities, and secure, vetted sources of support, PSNs offer unique opportunities to (1) provide children with a safe space to share, reflect and come together, (2) extend existing practices related to SEL across children’s changing contexts and developmental needs, (2) support an integrated digital ecosystem of care across different stakeholders that allows for engagement and targeted interventions, and (3) support niche or marginalized communities in gaining access to relevant, meaningful and identity-specific support that may not otherwise be available.

Find the article at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212868923000338?dgcid=coauthor

#tecilab #tecipublications #JillianWarren #AlissaAntle #AlexKitson #AlirezaDavoodi #children #childcomputerinteraction #designingforchildren #snapshotofsiat #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #digitalhealth #intergenerationalcodesign
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The 22nd annual ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference is well underway and TECI lab members have started the week strong. Dr. Alexandra Kitson is seen here giving her presentation regarding her work in the VR space and its potential in cognitive reappraisal methods for youth. TECI Director Dr. Alissa Antle was part of a successful panel discussion on the impact equity, diversity and inclusion has in research. Check out our stories for more snapshots of us at the conference!

#IDC2023 #AlexKitson #tecilabontheroad #tecilabconference #tecilab #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #childcomputerinteraction #technologydesign #technologyresearch #humancenteredcomputing #HCItheory #emotionregulation #mentalhealth #technologyenabledintervention #cognitivereappraisal #psychology #postivepsychology #virtualreality #VR #VRresearch #virtualrealityresearch
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Congratulations are in order for Dr. Alexandra Kitson. She has been selected to join SFU’s Postdoctoral Association (PDA) Executive Committee this fall.

We are excited to celebrate Dr. Kitson in her upcoming role within the PDA as she brings years of service in past roles dedicated to building a stronger community and support for graduate students. Dr. Kitson continually demonstrates a passion for community building and advocacy for the SFU community. One of her goals as VP is to bring together postdocs across all SFU’s campuses. Keep up the great work Alex!

@alexandrakitson #AlexKitson #tecilab #sfu #snapshotsofsiat #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #researcher #postdoc #SFUcommunity #SFUpostdoctoralassociation #sfugraduatestudent
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Exciting news from the TECI Lab!

Congratulations Alexandra Kitson, Alissa N. Antle and Petr Slovak on your recently accepted publication to the 22nd annual ACM Interaction Design and Children (IDC) Conference.

This year, IDC will take place at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois from June 19-23. IDC is the premier international conference for researchers, educators and practitioners to share the latest research findings, innovative methodologies and new technologies in the areas of inclusive child-centered design, learning and interaction. IDC’23 is hosted by the Center for Computer Science and Learning Sciences at Northwestern University.

#AlexKitson #tecilab #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #childcomputerinteraction #technologydesign #technologyresearch #humancenteredcomputing #HCItheory #psychology #postivepsychology #virtualreality #VR #VRresearch #virtualrealityresearch #idc2023
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We are excited to share that Sadhbh Kenny, a current Masters student at the TECI lab, is the recipient of the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship - Masters award.

We are thrilled to see Sadhbh being recognized for her academic excellence, research potential and active involvement in academic life. She is excited to use this award to support her research investigating youth critical digital literacies and empowerment.

#tecilab #teciresearch #tecilabawards #sfu #snapshotsofsiat #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #sfugraduatestudent #researcher
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Dr. Alexandra Kitson, a Postdoc Researcher at the TECI lab, getting ready to do a practice run of her co-design workshop, Virtual Reality to Support Cognitive Reappraisal, happening in early April. Dr. Kitson’s research explores the potential of VR to provide unique opportunities for cognitive reappraisal skills development in youth.

#AlexKitson #tecilab #sfu #lablife #snapshotsofsiat #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #childcomputerinteraction #technologydesign #technologyresearch #virtualreality #VR #VRresearch #virtualrealityresearch #postdoc #criticalmaking #technologyethics #psychology #postivepsychology #emotionalregulation #cognitivereappraisal
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We are excited to share that TECI’s PhD student Annemiek Veldhuis got to present her work at the ACM 17th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction that occurred over February 26 to March 1 in Warsaw, Poland. Her poster showcased an initial design exploration for her PhD on supporting elementary school students` social regulation during collaborative design projects. We are continually inspired by the research work happening in the lab and are proud that Annemiek got to share her work to the community at large. Way to go Annemiek!

About the TEI Conference

The ACM International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI) addresses issues of human-computer interaction, novel tools and technologies, interactive art, and user experience. The work presented at TEI has a strong focus on how computing can bridge atoms and bits into cohesive interactive systems. The intimate size of this single-track conference provides a unique forum for exchanging ideas and presenting innovative work through talks, interactive exhibits, demos, hands-on studios, posters, art installations, and performances.

#TEI2023 #SIGCHI #sfusiat #tecilab #technologyresearch #collaborativedesign #tangibleinteraction #designbasedlearning #tecilabontheroad #tecilabconference
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Lab members got to experience some of the augmented reality and light installations of the Winter Arts Fest yesterday. This annual event is hosted by the Vancouver Mural Festival and is a great opportunity to see current works of digital media artists in the form of AR, projection and sculptural mediums. It was a fun lab outing! #labsocial #tecilab #tecilablife #newmediaart #augmentedreality #winterartfest2023 #technology #vmf ...

Skill share! Annemiek, one of TECI’s PhD students, gave an Intro to Arduino workshop in the lab today. It was a great opportunity for lab members to learn from each other`s experiences and expertise.

#tecilab #skillshare #tecilablife #sfusiat #siat #arduino #learntocode #snapshotofsiat #technology
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The Tech Support (on call) position will assist researchers in technical hardware troubleshooting and diagnosis and software troubleshooting and installation. Most of the research done at TECI uses Unity and you will need to have a strong working knowledge of how to troubleshoot issues when Unity based projects are used on Android and IOS operating systems.

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to tta75@sfu.ca.

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#tecilab #childcomputerinteraction #technologyresearch #teciishiring #research #werehiring #academiclife #humancomputerinteraction #tangibleinteraction #embodiedinteraction #interfacedesign #braininterfaces #wearables #tech #siatspotlight #siat #simonfraseru #simonfraseruniversity #canadianresearch #canadianuniversities
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The TECI lab is proud to see our very own @alissaantle being honored with the Community-Engaged Research award at the @fcatatsfu 2022 Research Excellence Awards that took place December 1st. We are proud that she represented the lab and @siatsfu by being recognized as a “continuing faculty member at any stage of their career who has made a recent or sustained outstanding contribution to a community in which they are designing and conducting their research studies”. This is not the first time Dr. Antle has been recognized by her peers. In 2019 she was also honored with the Distinguished Researcher award at FCAT’s 2019 Research Excellence Awards for her “outstanding career and body of work as a distinguished artist and researcher in the field of interaction design for children”.

Other 2022 Research Award winners to join Dr. Antle include: Wladimiro A. Woyno Rodriguez (Emerging Researcher), Svitlana Matviyenko (Researcher of the Year), Judy Radul (Distinguished Researcher) and Elspeth Pratt (Service Award). Congratulations to all the winners!

#AlissaAntle #tecilab #tecilabawards #childcomputerinteraction #interactiondesign #designingforchildren #canadianresearcher #sfu #snapshotsofsiat #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #technologydesign #technologyresearch #surreybc
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New and exciting from the TECI Lab!

Congratulations Petr Slovák, Alissa N. Antle, Nikki Theofanopoulou, Claudia Dauden Roquet, and Katherine Isbister on your recently accepted publication to ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (ToCHI).

Designing for experience-led technology-mediated mental health interventions: Theory and research agenda for HCI.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3569898

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#tecilab #sfu #siat #SFUSurrey #simonfraserU #SFUgram #hci #humancomputerinteraction #hciresearch #researcher #childcomputerinteraction #technologydesign #technologyresearch #humancenteredcomputing #HCItheory #emotionregulation #mentalhealth #technologyenabledintervention
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