Good for learning, bad for motivation? A meta-analysis on the effects of computer-supported collaboration scripts

Scripting computer-supported collaborative learning has been shown to greatly enhance learning, but is often criticized for hindering learners’ agency and thus undermining learners’ motivation. Beyond that, what makes some CSCL scripts particularly effective for learning is still a conundrum. This meta-analysis synthesizes the results of 53 primary studies that experimentally compared the effect of learning with a CSCL script to unguided collaborative learning on at least one of the variables motivation, domain learning, and collaboration skills. Overall, 5616 learners enrolled in K-12, higher education, or professional development participated in the included studies. The results of a random-effects meta-analysis show that learning with CSCL scripts leads to a non-significant positive effect on motivation (Hedges’ g = 0.13), a small positive effect (Hedges’ g = 0.24) on domain learning and a medium positive effect (Hedges’ g = 0.72) on collaboration skills. Additionally, the meta-analysis shows how scaffolding single particular collaborative activities and scaffolding a combination of collaborative activities affects the effectiveness of CSCL scripts and that synergistic or differentiated scaffolding is hard to achieve. This meta-analysis offers the first counterevidence against the widespread criticism that CSCL scripts have negative motivational effects. Furthermore, the findings can be taken as evidence for the robustness of the positive effects on domain learning and collaboration skills

Change of collaboration over time: A case study of college students in discussion sections of a mathematics course

Previous research on collaborative learning has found that the quality of collaboration varied across groups with students’ interactive patterns, learning goals, etc. Less evaluate the change in the quality of collaboration across time. A case study of a group of four college students who engaged in a discussion section of a mathematics course was performed. Students’ collaboration in Week 4, Week 5, and Week 7 was evaluated along four dimensions: convergence, explanation, regulation, and ignoring. Results were mixed regarding if the quality of collaboration improved across time. There was an increase in evidence for knowledge convergence from Week 4 to Week 7. However, results showed a decrease in total explanatory moves and no improvement in regulatory and ignoring behaviors. Possible explanations for these results were discussed. Additionally, this paper suggests implications of these results for researchers who focus on collaborative learning in college discussion sections

Marco conceptual para la gestión de grupos colaborativos en cursos de escala masiva y variable

Los MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses, Cursos Abiertos Masivos en Línea), etiquetados como nuevo paradigma disruptivo en el entorno educativo, son ampliamente criticados debido a sus altas tasas de abandono y a su baja calidad instruccional. La inclusión de pedagogías colaborativas en este tipo de cursos podría mejorar su calidad instruccional, además de aumentar la motivación e implicación de los alumnos. La escala masiva y variable dificulta la introducción de dichas pedagogías y en especial la formación y mantenimiento de grupos de trabajo de alumnos. El apoyo a los profesores en las tareas de gestión de los grupos, podría facilitar la adopción de diseños pedagógicos colaborativos. Para abordar esta meta y poder llevar a cabo el desarrollo de herramientas de apoyo a los profesores, es conveniente un conocimiento profundo del contexto y del problema a acometer, así como una visión holística del mismo. Por este motivo, este TFM pretende realizar una primera iteración exploratoria sobre el problema y desarrollar un marco conceptual que describa el contexto e identifique y clasifique los factores a considerar en el diseño de herramientas que apoyen a los profesores en la gestión de agrupaciones en cursos de escala masiva y variable. Para ello se realiza una revisión de literatura y se obtiene la opinión de expertos mediante entrevistas semiestructuras. La información obtenida por estos métodos se analiza, se sintetiza y se comunica en forma de artefactos gráficos que se usan posteriormente en tres escenarios ilustrativos que tratan de facilitar la comprensión de los artefactos en un contexto ficticio pero realista.Máster en Investigación en Tecnologías de la Información y las Comunicacione

Proceedings of the Seventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education

International audienceThis volume contains the Proceedings of the Seventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (ERME), which took place 9-13 February 2011, at Rzeszñw in Poland

Aprendizaje colaborativo en grupos virtuales. Relaciones entre condiciones, procesos y resultados de aprendizaje de estudiantes de educación superior en entornos virtuales

Tradicionalment les investigacions sobre aprenentatge col·laboratiu en grups virtuals s'han posicionat des de dos concepcions divergents sobre l'aprenentatge, considerant-lo com adquisició de coneixement, un procés cognitiu de caràcter individual o com a participació en una pràctica social, un procés constructiu de caràcter interpersonal. Aquestes concepcions han abordat la investigació d'aquest fenomen dissociant els aspectes socials i individuals de la col·laboració. La nostra investigació proposa una perspectiva integradora en relacionar aspectes de la dimensió individual i social de l'aprenentatge col·laboratiu. Els nostres resultats constaten una relació positiva i significativa entre les participacions dels estudiants, les estratègies d'aprenentatge aplicades, l'estructura d'organització col·laborativa del grup i els resultats d'aprenentatge dels estudiants tant a nivell individual com de grup. Aquest estudi proposa una visió integral de l'anàlisi de l'aprenentatge col··aboratiu en entorns virtuals, una metodologia l'ús va en augment a mesura que la tecnologia facilita les possibilitats d'aprenentatge de l'ésser humà.Tradicionalmente las investigaciones sobre aprendizaje colaborativo en grupos virtuales se han posicionado desde dos concepciones divergentes sobre el aprendizaje, considerándolo como adquisición de conocimiento, un proceso cognitivo de carácter individual o como participación en una práctica social, un proceso constructivo de carácter interpersonal. Estas concepciones han abordado la investigación de este fenómeno disociando los aspectos sociales e individuales de la colaboración. Nuestra investigación propone una perspectiva integradora al relacionar aspectos de la dimensión individual y social del aprendizaje colaborativo. Nuestros resultados constatan una relación positiva y significativa entre las participaciones de los estudiantes, las estrategias de aprendizaje aplicadas, la estructura de organización colaborativa del grupo y los resultados de aprendizaje de los estudiantes tanto a nivel individual como de grupo. Este estudio propone una visión integral del análisis del aprendizaje colaborativo en entornos virtuales, una metodología cuyo uso va en aumento a medida que la tecnología facilita las posibilidades de aprendizaje del ser humano.Traditionally, research on collaborative learning in virtual groups has adopted different perspectives, according to two far apart conceptions of learning, considering it as knowledge acquisition, an individual cognitive process, or as participation in a social practice, a constructive process of interpersonal character. These conceptions have approached the investigation of this phenomenon by dissociating the social from the individual aspect of collaboration. Our research proposes an inclusive perspective to relate the individual and social dimensions of collaborative learning. Our results confirm a positive and significant relationship between the students¿ participations, students¿ learning strategies, collaborative organizational structure of the group, and the learning outcomes of students both individually and as a group. This study proposes a comprehensive view of the analysis of collaborative learning in virtual environments, a methodology which is increasing its use as technology facilitates more and more learning in human beings

Collaborative Help for Individualized Problems: Learning from the MythTV User Community and Diabetes Patient Support Groups.

As information technology increasingly becomes part of everyday life, new opportunities arise for aggregating people’s experiences and knowledge. Collaborative help can utilize collective experience and knowledge to benefit everyday problem solving activities. However, current help systems often limit their focus to common and active problems (e.g., Frequently Asked Questions), making it difficult for users to find answers to the problems that are uncommon and individualized. In my dissertation, I address how individualized problems can be better supported through collaborative help. My dissertation contributes to existing conversations around collaborative help, especially challenges in information reuse and contextualization. I further expand discussions around the role of temporal information during expertise sharing for finding solutions to individualized problems. In order to study this, I examined two research sites using an interpretivist approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1990): the MythTV user community and diabetes patient support groups. Because problems are often individualized for members of both communities, these sites serve as excellent places to examine the research problem. I discuss three key findings that are critical for understanding how individualized problems are solved in community-based collaborative help systems. First, operationalizing experiences is critical for sharing executable solutions and context. Operationalized experiences are not only about the objectification and easy transfer of tacit knowledge (Ambrosini & Bowman, 2002), but generate knowledge that can be directly re-used. Second, operationalization process inevitably fails to capture practices “simultaneously embedded in various processes” (Ackerman & Halverson, 2000) during maintenance activities, be it maintaining MythTV or diabetes. However, the breakdown of operationalization process helps each community member learn how to manage individualized situations as they occur. Lastly, operationalization process needs to take place within the larger context of sharing trajectories. By comparing, aligning, and collaging pieces of individual trajectories, community members collectively expand their knowledge about managing MythTV or diabetes over time. Through continual sharing of maintenance trajectories, members reduce uncertainty about the future, take preventative actions, and reflect on the past to revise their practices.Ph.D.InformationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89774/1/jinah_1.pd

Promoting Andean children's learning of science through cultural and digital tools

Conference Theme: To see the world and a grain of sand: Learning across levels of space, time, and scaleIn Peru, there is a large achievement gap in rural schools. In order to overcome this problem, the study aims to design environments that enhance science learning through the integration of ICT with cultural artifacts, respecting the Andean culture and empower rural children to pursue lifelong learning. This investigation employs the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) framework, and the Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology using an iterative process of design, implementation and evaluation of the innovative practice.published_or_final_versio