Shared orchestration within and beyond the classroom

The TEL research community has long neglected the dynamics of the real school classroom. Forty years ago TEL (or Computer Assisted Instruction as it was then) held out a promise of making life easier for teachers, while also enhancing the effectiveness of student learning. For so long teaching has been regarded as a human task that it is novel to suggest that a machine should take over the role of contact with the students, and leave a teacher to do the planning and preparation of the lesson. But it does seem to work, and in a world that is short of teachers there is every reason to develop it as far as possible. (Dodd, Sime & Kay, 1968) TEL has never delivered on this promise. Machines have not successfully engaged in teaching students (with a few notable, but limited exceptions). Instead, the modern classroom has become a more complex and demanding place, with the teacher not only having to prepare lesson plans, accommodate formal curricula, and follow regulations on health, safety and discipline, but also understand and manage a variety of technologies such as interactive whiteboards, desktop and laptop computers. Into this volatile mix we are now proposing to add orchestration technology

The added value of implementing the Planet Game scenario with Collage and Gridcole

This paper discusses the suitability and the added value of Collage and Gridcole when contrasted with other solutions participating in the ICALT 2006 workshop titled “Comparing educational modelling languages on a case study.” In this workshop each proposed solution was challenged to implement a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning situation (CSCL) posed by the workshop’s organizers. Collage is a pattern-based authoring tool for the creation of CSCL scripts compliant with IMS Learning Design (IMS LD). These IMS LD scripts can be enacted by the Gridcole tailorable CSCL system. The analysis presented in the paper is organized as a case study which considers the data recorded in the workshop discussion as well the information reported in the workshop contributions. The results of this analysis show how Collage and Gridcole succeed in implementing the scenario and also point out some significant advantages in terms of design reusability and generality, user-friendliness, and enactment flexibility

Scripting and monitoring meet each other: Aligning learning analytics and learning design to support teachers in orchestrating CSCL situations.

From the conceptualization to the evaluation of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) scenarios, teachers address multiple tasks, sometimes being overwhelmed on account of the required time and associated burden. To support teachers in this endeavor, we propose to connect the pedagogical decisions made at design time with the analysis of the participants' interactions. Thus, teachers would be provided with relevant and coarse-grained information that could help them manage their CSCL scenarios. This paper synthesizes the main contributions obtained from a 3-year design-based research process, and presents the findings obtained from the evaluation of the current proposal in two authentic CSCL scenarios. The participant teachers valued the proposal positively and stated that it was helpful for their orchestration of CSCL scenarios

Scripting and monitoring meet each other: Aligning learning analytics and learning design to support teachers in orchestrating CSCL situations.

From the conceptualization to the evaluation of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) scenarios, teachers address multiple tasks, sometimes being overwhelmed on account of the required time and associated burden. To support teachers in this endeavor, we propose to connect the pedagogical decisions made at design time with the analysis of the participants' interactions. Thus, teachers would be provided with relevant and coarse-grained information that could help them manage their CSCL scenarios. This paper synthesizes the main contributions obtained from a 3-year design-based research process, and presents the findings obtained from the evaluation of the current proposal in two authentic CSCL scenarios. The participant teachers valued the proposal positively and stated that it was helpful for their orchestration of CSCL scenarios

Monitoring-Aware Learning Design Process: Pilot Studies in Authentic CSCL Scenarios

ICT tools offer the possibility to store, analyse and visualise large amounts of educational data. However, in order to make sense of these analyses, teachers need meaningful information connected to their pedagogical intentions. We envision an enriched learning-design process, which supports the integration of the issues related to monitoring in the script. This paper presents a study where the first author and a teacher iteratively co-designed two authentic learning scenarios with the aim of defining and evaluating a monitoring-aware design model and process. These two proposals, the model and the process, were positively evaluated by the participant teacher, and are the basis for the future implementation of an authoring tool that will support the proposed monitoring-aware design process

Incorporating assessment in a pattern-based design process for CSCL scripts

Scripting has already been shown to be a way of increasing the chances of effective collaborative learning, and especially when computer support is available. Formal specifications, such as IMS-LD, and software authoring tools have provided instructional designers and educational practitioners with mechanisms for the creation and automation of flexible collaborative learning scripts ready to run in real scenarios. Within the context of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) script design, the application of design patterns has been proposed as the basis for a design process that promotes the reuse of good practices, implemented in an IMS-LD authoring tool, Collage. However, it is well known that assessmentis a key aspect in real learning scenarios, and therefore it should be included in CSCL scripts. In this sense, this paper reports data and findings derived from two case studies performed to explore how assessment design can be included in the aforementioned pattern-based process. Results provide preliminary evidence that additional support is necessary for assessment design within this process for non-expert users. In order to tackle this limitation, the use of assessment patterns is analyzed. Evidence gathered in the case studies supports the need, adequacy and feasibility of a more systematic assessment-aware design process for CSCL scripts

Collaborative learning in higher education : design, implementation and evaluation of group learning activities

  In higher education, group learning activities (GLAs) are frequently implemented in online, blended or face-to-face educational contexts. A major problem for the design and implementation of good quality GLAs that lead to the desired learning outcomes is that many approaches to GLAs have been studied, but with different terminology and with various components of the design of GLAs. The central aim of this thesis was to provide insight into how teachers in higher education can be supported in the design, implementation, and evaluation of GLAs by developing a theoretically and empirically underpinned framework for the design of GLAs. In the first study, the beliefs and practices of teachers in higher education regarding collaborative learning were explored to establish whether there is a need for support in the design and implementation. In the other three studies, a framework was developed for the design, implementation and evaluation of GLAs, its empirical validity was examined and its usefulness for understanding the relation between GLA design and perceived learning outcomes was explored.  ICLON – Publicaties zonder aanstelling Universiteit Leide

The role of personal and shared displays in scripted collaborative learning

Over the last decades collaborative learning has gained immensely in importance and popularity due to its high potential. Unfortunately, learners rarely engage in effective learning activities unless they are provided with instructional support. In order to maximize learning outcomes it is therefore advisable to structure collaborative learning sessions. One way of doing this is using collaboration scripts, which define a sequence of activities to be carried out by the learners. The field of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) produced a variety of collaboration scripts that proved to have positive effects on learning outcomes. These scripts provide detailed descriptions of successful learning scenarios and are therefore used as foundation for this thesis. In many cases computers are used to support collaborative learning. Traditional personal computers are often chosen for this purpose. However, during the last decades new technologies have emerged, which seem to be better suited for co-located collaboration than personal computers. Large interactive displays, for example, allow a number of people to work simultaneously on the same surface while being highly aware of the co-learners' actions. There are also multi-display environments that provide several workspaces, some of which may be shared, others may be personal. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the influence of different display types on group processes. For instance, it remains unclear in which cases shareable user interfaces should replace traditional single-user devices and when both personal and shared workspaces should be provided. This dissertation therefore explores the role of personal and shared workspaces in various situations in the area of collaborative learning. The research questions include the choice of technological devices, the seating arrangement as well as how user interfaces can be designed to guide learners. To investigate these questions a two-fold approach was chosen. First, a framework was developed, which supports the implementation of scripted collaborative learning applications. Second, different prototypes were implemented to explore the research questions. Each prototype is based on at least one collaboration script. The result is a set of studies, which contribute to answering the above-mentioned research questions. With regard to the choice of display environment the studies showed several reasons for integrating personal devices such as laptops. Pure tabletop applications with around-the-table seating arrangements whose benefits for collaboration are widely discussed in the relevant literature revealed severe drawbacks for text-based learning activities. The combination of laptops and an interactive wall display, on the other hand, turned out to be a suitable display environment for collaborative learning in several cases. In addition, the thesis presents several ways of designing the user interface in a way that guides learners through collaboration scripts