Do internal factors of cooperation influence computer-mediated distance activity?

International audienceOn the one hand, researchers have studied factors that influence collaboration and on the other, researchers have proposed models of collaborative problem solving. However, we have not found research on the relation between these factors and the dimensions used in order to describe the collaborative activity within the models. This article's goal is to propose such relations for a situation of collaborative design, mediated by computer and carried out at a distance. We will show two main relations that emerged from our corpus. Firstly, dialogue utterances between partners that have a dominant social aspect are positively related to the symmetry of the entire dyadic interaction in terms of partners' contributions. Secondly, dialogue utterances that predominantly deal with expressing what partners are doing is negatively related to the extent to which partners are aligned. This research also extends the field of applicability of the cooperative activity model proposed in Baker (2002)

CSCL: Structuring the Past, Present and Future Through Virtual Portfolios

Web-based processes of learning and collaboration produce an enlarged structural opportunity at many levels. Careful structuring of the virtual space supports and adds quality to both collaborative learning between students, and to instruction. Such enhancement in quality may take place through use of individual and collaborative spaces for learning activities, overview of process and content, increased clarity of learning expectations, and facilitation of collaborative and individual processes of reflection and self-reflection. This chapter investigates the structuring potential of a virtual version of portfolios for supporting these aspects. It discusses the conceptual and structural complexity associated with design and use of virtual portfolios from the perspective of, both learners and instructors, and on the basis of the design and use of virtual portfolios in a web-based American course on global change

A relational, indirect, meso-level approach to CSCL design in the next decade

This paper reviews some foundational issues that we believe will affect the progress of CSCL over the next ten years. In particular, we examine the terms technology, affordance, and infrastructure and we propose a relational approach to their use in CSCL. Following a consideration of networks, space, and trust as conditions of productive learning, we propose an indirect approach to design in CSCL. The work supporting this theoretical paper is based on the outcomes of two European networks: E-QUEL, a network investigating e-quality in e-learning; and Kaleidoscope, a European Union Framework 6 Network of Excellence. In arguing for a relational understanding of affordance, infrastructure, and technology we also argue for a focus on what we describe as meso-level activity. Overall this paper does not aim to be comprehensive or summative in its review of the state of the art in CSCL, but rather to provide a view of the issues currently facing CSCL from a European perspective

Reuse of Digital Learning Resources in Collaborative Learning Environments

With background in the proliferation of Information- and Communication Technologies(ICTs) in educational institutions, there is a growing interest in deploying ICT that complies with specifications and standards for learning technologies in these institutions. A key to obtaining the benefits of cost-efficiency and quality that motivate this interest is reuse of digital learning resources. Despite the significant efforts being made in design and deployment of learning technology standards facilitating the reuse of learning resources, the phenomenon of reuse is understudied. Central standardization initiatives originate in the requirements for training in large corporations and the US military. My research is concerned with learning resource reuse in educational institutions, with a particular interest in pedagogical approaches emphasizing the social aspects of learning. The central aim of my research is to develop a conception of reuse that facilitates systematic analysis of learning resource reuse in ICT-mediated collaborative learning environments. This aim locates my research at the intersection between learning technology standardization and the research area of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). The theoretical basis for my research is sociocultural perspectives on human learning and development. This perspective contends that the process of learning is essentially a social process, situated in cultural and historical contexts. The sociocultural understanding of technological agency, that human actions are mediated by artifacts, has fundamentally shaped my understanding of learning resource reuse. I have used the more specific approach of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory as my analytical framework,which implies that I have studied the students, teachers, and technology designers’ engagement with learning resources as activity. The empirical basis for the research is formed by three interpretive case studies. Two of the case studies were carried out on an introductory course on object-oriented programming at the University of Aarhus in Denmark, during two consecutive semesters. The third case study was conducted on the development of a framework for technology-enhanced inquiry learning at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. The most important contribution of my research is that it brings the issue of how learning resources are reused in educational institutions into the foreground. The intermediate conv cept of reuse developed in this thesis informs the two research areas CSCL and learning technology standardization. It serves as a mechanism for discussing the issue of scalability of CSCL systems, and provides empirically informed perspectives on reuse to the learning technology standardization community. I argue that standardization will become more relevant for CSCL research as experimental CSCL systems are brought into educational institutions and help shape the everyday practice in these institutions. Learning technology standards represent an opportunity for the CSCL research community to reify findings on productive collaborative interactions, and to implement sustainable CSCL systems in educational institutions. The conception of reuse can be used in deliberations on standards deployment in educational institutions. It can help guide decisions on which learning resources to design according to standards, and the findings on how the specifications SCORM and IMS Learning Design accommodate collaborative learning approaches can assist decision-makers in choosing appropriate mechanisms for facilitating reuse of learning resources. For the design of learning technology standards, the conception of reuse offers an opportunity to think about how well the standards reflect reuse practice. The findings on how learning resources are reused can also be used for redesigning standards with respect to reducing complexity. In addition to the findings on reuse, my empirical research on social interactions in distributed CSCL settings has yielded new insights on the communicative conditions constituted by CSCL environments in the problem domain of university-level introductory objectoriented programming. My research pays particular attention to how the mediating ICTs shape these interactions, as well as taking other aspects of the learning situations into account

Designing Digital Work

Combining theory, methodology and tools, this open access book illustrates how to guide innovation in today’s digitized business environment. Highlighting the importance of human knowledge and experience in implementing business processes, the authors take a conceptual perspective to explore the challenges and issues currently facing organizations. Subsequent chapters put these concepts into practice, discussing instruments that can be used to support the articulation and alignment of knowledge within work processes. A timely and comprehensive set of tools and case studies, this book is essential reading for those researching innovation and digitization, organization and business strategy

Developing, structure, functionality, organizing and delivering

Denne rapporten beskriver og presenterer resultater fra forsknings og utviklingsprosjektet PedTek (Pedagogikk og Teknologi). Prosjektet ble startet i 1997 og Det Kongelige Kirke, undervisnings og Forskningsdepartement bevilget 1 mill. kroner i økonomisk støtte til prosjektet. Den overordnede målsettingen for PedTek prosjektet var å utforme utdanningsløsninger for studenter med bevegelseshemning og studenter som av andre grunner ikke kunne følge ordinær undervisning med fysisk tilstedeværelse ved et lærested. En fire komponents NBLM prototyp ble testet og kontinuerlig modifisert i løpet av eksperimenteringen. Med referanse til det forhåndsdefinerte målet for utviklingsarbeidet kan det konkluderes med at Høgskolen i Hedmark (HH) spesielt og lesere av denne rapporten generelt nå er bedre i stand til å tilby nettbaserte læringsløsninger for fjernstudenter ved å anvende PBL og samarbeidslæring. Den fire komponents NBLM strukturen består av Forhåndsprodusert læringsmateriell, Nett-basert kursstøtte system, Veiledning og oppgaver og Ansikt til ansikt møter og representerer en hensiktmessig modell for etablering av læringsprosesser for fjernstudenter. Av de mer åpenbare effektene av FoU prosjektet kan det pekes på identifiseringen av et sett kritiske variabler som gir bakgrunn for å foreslå brukertilpassede utforminger av NBLM. Ved å trekke inn studentenes motivasjon, læringskultur, konsekvenser av å ikke nå oppsatte læringsmål, læringsprosessens varighet og type pensum, kan det framsettes hypoteser om at pedagogikk basert på ulike læringsteorier bør anvendes. Anbefalinger knyttet til bruken av resultatene i praktiske situasjoner er at implementering av nett baserte læringsmiljøer i organisasjoner ikke må betraktes som enkle og trivielle oppgaver. Implementeringsprosessen bør defineres som et virkelig eksperimentelt systemutviklingsprosjekt.English: This report describes and presents results from the PedTek (Pedagogy and Technology) Research and Development (R&D) project. The project was started in 1997 and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research granted 1 million Norwegian Kroner (approximately USD 140 000) in economical support. The overall goal of the PedTek project was to design educational solutions for physically handicapped and other students unable to comply with the requirements of ordinarily on-campus teaching. A four-component NBLE prototype was tested and continually redesigned during the experimentation. With reference to the predefined development goals it can be concluded that Hedmark University College (HUC) in particular and readers of this report in general now are in a better position than before to provide efficient net based education programs for off-campus students applying PBL and CL based pedagogy. The four-component structure NBLE, consisting of Pre-produced learning material, Learning Management System, Supervision and exercises and Face to face meetings and workshops, represents a convenient model for implementing computer-supported learning processes for off-campus students. The more obvious research results include the identification of a set of critical variables, providing a background for suggesting designs of user adaptive NBLEs. By considering Learner’s motivation, Learning culture, Consequence of failure, Duration of the learning process and Type of curriculum it is hypothesized that pedagogy based on different learning theories should be applied. Recommendations related to the use of the R&D results in practical situations are that the implementation of Net Based Learning Environments in organizations not should be considered a trivial task. The implementation process should be defined and conducted as a proper experimental systems development project