Collaborative Concept Mapping: A Study of Group Work Satisfaction in Vocational Higher Education

Collaboration is gaining traction in today's educational environment. Thus, teachers' primary concern is assisting students in experiencing group knowledge collaboration. As online education continues to grow in popularity, there is an increasing need to promote and understand collaborative learning processes. Its success is contingent upon implementing online collaborative learning strategies that foster critical thinking abilities while also providing meaningful collaborative learning opportunities. Collaborative concept mapping is one tool that could be used to foster student collaboration. Rather than creating and visualizing ideas individually, collaborative concept mapping involves two or more students working collaboratively to create one or more concept maps. In collaborative learning, interactions between learners are critical sources of idea generation. The purpose of this study is to examine students’ satisfaction with implementing the strategy in Second Language Reading class. The recent study advances our understanding of how to effectively use collaborative teaching tools in the classroom and improve student learning through group collaboration. The study's findings indicate that students demonstrated positive attitudes toward group collaboration, as evidenced by collaborative concept mapping. In addition, the collaborative learning processes embedded in concept mapping learning platforms support and facilitate reading comprehension achievement, resulting in successful foreign language learning for higher education students. The interaction in collaborative concept mapping, lacking in individual concept mapping, has facilitated individual and group knowledge building. As a result, implementing this strategy may benefit both group and individual learning

Using Best Practices In Online Discussion And Assessment To Enhance Collaborative Learning

The primary purpose of this exploratory study is to provide insight on how to use online discussions to foster collaborative learning and how to design assessment processes to evaluate the effectiveness of those discussions. This study focuses on the pedagogical role of discussion, effective practices in discussion, guidelines for creating discussions to enhance learning, and the use of rubrics for assessment and evaluation. This study also provides an overview of the pedagogy of online assessment with an emphasis on mastery learning instructional methods. Effective practices in the use of online assessment and guidelines for aligning learning objectives with the most appropriate assessment tool are also emphasized. This study concludes that using best practices in online discussion and assessment can enhance collaborative learning which results in students having a deeper understanding of course content because of more time on task, increased motivation, more engagement, improved teamwork and interpersonal skills, enhanced critical thinking abilities, improved self-esteem and increased ownership of their own learning

The Visu Reflection Tool for Socio-Emotional Awareness in CSCL situations

International audienceAn exploratory study has been conducted in which 12 students in Bachelor of Science in Psychology were asked to use the Visu reflection tool during Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) situations. Visu is a web videoconferencing platform that allows participants to put reflective markers during their collaborative learning activity, and to review the traces of their synchronous collaboration later. In this study, co-learners used two types of markers: (1) free markers and (2) socio-emotional markers to express either negative or positive feelings about the way they collaborate together. Our contribution is related to the first focus of the workshop: emotion awareness in CSCL. In line with this focus, our main questions are as follows: (1) How can the Visu tool help learners express and share their feelings about collaboration? How does this affect the way they interact and learn together? (2) How do they use the Visu markers after the collaboration to self-reflect on their group processes? In this paper, we first describe the Visu platform. We then present a study we have carried out to answer the questions presented above. We finally conclude with the contributions of our research to the workshop topic

Learning from design creativity: translating processes from practice to education

Paper submitted as part of the 2nd International Conference on Design Creativity, Glasgow 2012. This paper is made available with permission of the Design Society, who own the copyright.This paper develops reflections on design creativity as a cross-curriculum tool in mainstream formal education at primary/elementary level. Evidence comes from a contemporary UK case study of a series of workshops whereby architectural design professionals introduced design creativity into mainstream primary teaching and learning situations, developed through the UK Creative Partnerships‘ programme. This programme, which until recently was funded through central government, introduced principles of collaborative creativity through targeted programmes of change and enquiry involving pupils, teachers and creative practitioners. Following the processes of designing and delivering a programme to embed creative exploration through design tasks which focus on the learning environment, the authors, both architectural practitioners and educators, undertake further reflection back to the architectural profession and the societal role of collaborative creative design. We propose a hybrid practice in which architects might swap skills with teachers, pupils, teaching assistants and school management. This process reveals new creative concepts to pupils and staff, and unearths latent abilities within pupils as they work collaboratively to develop and provide design services for the built fabric or spatial use of school spaces

Evaluation of e-learning policy, processes and practices in a corporate environment

This study investigates the use of learning technologies as a tool to design, develop and deliver learning interventions within a corporate environment. The study makes use of an acquisition-participation-contribution framework in order to determine how the Training Department designed and delivered learning and to evaluate learner expectations. Questionnaires were conducted on 82 participants, who included learners and trainers from all business entities within the company. Thereafter data collection involved three focus group sessions. Results found differences in what learners want and what the trainers delivered. Learners preferred social and collaborative processes while trainers designed learning that focused on the distribution and acquisition of knowledge. Trainers needs to understand the needs of staff better and that learning is not the consumption of information, but is concerned with knowledge production to support individual and collective transformation

Exploring conditions for the effective implementation and use of computerised cognitive tools

In recent times, the term cognitive tool has been applied to computer technology that promotes reflective thinking and student-regulated learning. The interactive qualities of cognitive tools, and their ability to visually represent students\u27 knowledge construction processes, promotes cognitive and metacognitive thinking and fosters learning for understanding. When used appropriately, cognitive tools are purported to bring about advanced cognitive gains through the amplification and augmentation of thinking and learning. These gains, however, have not been widespread given that information on how to use cognitive tools appropriately has largely eluded educators to date. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to identify an implementation framework that facilitated effective use of cognitive tools such that their potential could be maximised. This framework, which emerged from the literature, was based on a social constructivist perspective of learning where discourse and collaboration were highly valued, and students were encouraged to distribute their learning across social, physical, symbolic and intellectual resources. Known as a distributed learning environment (DLE) framework, it also permitted Insight into the extent to which cognitive tools, when used appropriately, contributed to student learning. Using action research methodology, this framework was implemented on two separate occasions into a fourth year tertiary unit. In keeping with the specific features of the DLE framework, modifications were made to the characteristics of the teaching contexts, which ultimately influenced the ways in which the students approached class activities and their learning in general. In both instances, data was collected from collaborative groups by recording and transcribing their discussions during class activities. Student interviews were also conducted and transcriptions were made of their self-reflective journals. The purpose of the first implementation was to determine the success of the framework in terms of the extent to which it encouraged students to distribute their learning to resources within the classroom. While there were varying degrees of distribution, the data suggests that the students relied heavily on many resources to support their understanding of the unit material. Based on these encouraging findings, the second Implementation proceeded and the DLE framework was used as a catalyst for the introduction of a cognitive tool called Inspiration® into the same unit the following semester. The activities within this unit were based on collaborative group work, the understandings from which were built into a concept-map that each group created for the five modules within the unit. Discourse analysis revealed that this setting enhanced student learning in that deep level socio-cognitive processes were frequently present within the collaborative groups\u27 dialogue. By forming visual, metacognitive, collaborative and motivational partnerships with the cognitive tool, the groups were able to place structure and coherency in their dialogue, identify gaps in their understandings and take the appropriate steps towards integrating knowledge. The major Implication to emerge from this study is that the DLE framework successfully supported the inherent qualities associated with the cognitive tool. Although extensive, its features present educators with a practical opportunity to operationalise current learning theory in their classrooms and, at the same time, implement an environment that embraces and advances the learning benefits associated with cognitive tools

Developing students as global learners: “Groups in Our World” blog

This case study investigates the use of online blogs as a teaching tool. A collaborative blog was implemented in parallel classes on group processes in the United States and Germany. Our goal was to connect American and German graduate students by helping them to talk about group communication and meeting behaviors. Collected data included transcripts of the messages, as well as students' evaluations of the blog (collected at the end of the project). Quantitative analyses assessed students' participation rates and the content of their postings. Qualitative analysis examined the use of the blog as a teaching and learning tool. The results showed that students interacted more on the blog than was required by the instructor. Students valued blogging as a new learning experience. We discuss the pedagogical implications of blog usage for teaching about groups and provide recommendations for instructors interested in using blogs in their own courses. © The Author(s) 2013

Blogs: A tool to facilitate reflection and community of practice in sports coaching?

A reflective approach to practice is consistently espoused as a key tool for understanding and enhancing coach learning and raising the vocational standards of coaches. As such, there is a clear need for practical tools and processes that might facilitate the development and measurement of “appropriate” reflective skills. The aim of this preliminary study was to explore the use of online blogs as a tool to support reflection and community of practice in a cohort of undergraduate sports coaching students. Twenty-six students (6 females, 20 males) reflected on their coaching practice via blogs created specifically for reflection. Blogs were subjected to category and content analysis to identify the focus of entries and to determine both the emergent reflective quality of posts and the extent to which an online community of practice emerged. Findings revealed that descriptive reflection exceeded that of a critical nature, however, bloggers exhibited a positive trajectory toward higher order thinking and blogs were an effective platform for supporting tutor-student interaction. Despite the peer discourse features of blogs, collaborative reflection was conspicuous by its absence and an online community of practice did not emerge

Exploring The Impact Of Configuration And Mode Of Input On Group Dynamics In Computing

Objectives: Large displays and new technologies for interacting with computers offer a rich area for the development of new tools to facilitate collaborative concept mapping activities. In this thesis, WiiConcept is described as a tool designed to allow the use of multiple WiiRemotes for the collaborative creation of concept maps, with and without gestures. Subsequent investigation of participants' use of the system considers the effect of single and multiple input streams when using the software with and without gestures and the impact upon group concept mapping process outcomes and interactions when using a large display. Methods: Data is presented from an exploratory study of twenty two students who have used the tool. Half of the pairs used two WiiRemotes, while the remainder used one WiiRemote. All pairs created one map without gestures and one map with gestures. Data about their maps, interactions and responses to the tool were collected. Results: Analysis of coded transcripts indicates that one-controller afforded higher levels of interaction, with the use of gestures also increasing the number of interactions seen. Additionally, the result indicated that there were significantly more interactions of the 'shows solidarity', 'gives orientation', and 'gives opinion' categories (defined by the Bales' interaction processes assessment), when using one-controller as opposed to two. Furthermore, there were more interactions for the 'shows solidarity', 'tension release', 'gives orientation' and 'shows tension' categories when using gestures as opposed to the non-use of gestures. Additionally, there were no significant differences in the perceived dominance of individuals, as measured on the social dominance scales, for the amount of interaction displayed, however, there was a significant main effect of group conversational control score on the 'gives orientation' construct, with a higher number of interactions for low, mixed and high scores of this type when dyads had one-controller as opposed to two-controllers. There was also a significant interaction effect of group conversational control score on the 'shows solidarity' construct with a higher number of interactions for all scores of this type when dyads had one-controller as opposed to two-controllers. The results also indicate that for the WiiConcept there was no difference between number of controllers in the detail in the maps, and that all users found the tool to be useful for the collaborative creation of concept maps. At the same time, engaging in disagreement was related to the amount of nodes created with disagreement leading to more nodes being created. Conclusions: Use of one-controller afforded higher levels of interaction, with gestures also increasing the number of interactions seen. If a particular type of interaction is associated with more nodes, there might also be some argument for only using one-controller with gestures enabled to promote cognitive conflict within groups. All participants responded that the tool was relatively easy to use and engaging, which suggests that this tool could be integrated into collaborative concept mapping activities, allowing for greater collaborative knowledge building and sharing of knowledge, due to the increased levels of interaction for one-controller. As research has shown concept mapping can be useful for promoting the understanding of complex ideas, therefore the adoption of the WiiConcept tool as part of a small group learning activity may lead to deeper levels of understanding. Additionally, the use of gestures suggests that this mode of input does not affect the amount of words, nodes, and edges created in a concept map. Further research, over a longer period of time, may see improvement with this form of interaction, with increased mastery of gestural movement leading to greater detail of conceptual mapping

Collaboration and Dialogue in Virtual Reality

“Virtual reality” adds a new dimension to constructivist problem-based learning (PBL) environments in the architectural and building construction educations, where a realistic and lifelike presence in a building enables students to assess and discuss how the various solutions interact with each other. Combined with “Building Information Models” (BIM), “Virtual Reality” provides an entirely new opportunity to innovate and optimize the architecture and construction in its early stages, which creates and iterative learning process. There are several studies where virtual simulation tools based on predefined tutorials are tested for their ability to facilitate collaborative processes. This study addresses the problem from a new angle by the virtual universe created through the students' own iterative design of a building. The “Virtual reality” system's narrative tale arises spontaneously through the dialogue. The result of this study shows that “Virtual Reality”, as a tool, creates some changes in the dialogue conditions which affect the learning process. The use of “Virtual Reality” requires a very precise framing about the system's ability to facilitate a collaborative learning process. The analysis identifies several clear opportunities about incorporating gamification mechanisms known from e.g. video games software.