The effects of scffolding strategy in online social-collaborative learning environment on engineering students knowledge construction level: a literature review

Engineering students show very little gains in high knowledge construction level that allow them to integrate and apply real world situations especially to develop the competence and expertise in the engineering field (Streveler et al., 2008). In order to achieve the complex skills of the engineering students, scaffolding strategy needs to embark on the learning process. Scaffolding is a key strategy in cognitive apprenticeship, in which students can learn by taking increasing responsibility in complex problem solving with the guidance of more knowledgeable mentors or teachers (Collins, Brown, and Newman, 1986). This study will provide some useful insight for the scaffolding strategy used towards knowledge construction process in an online socialcollaborative learning environment. The findings of this study will clarify the scaffolding types versus knowledge construction level in online social collaborative learning environment.. The knowledge construction processes as defined by the scaffolding strategy factors will assist curricula designers or lecturers to redefine the roles and metacognitive activities of the lectures and students in order to make the learning process in the online social-collaborative learning environment more efficient, meaningful, and can improve engineering students’ knowledge construction process as well as innovative and creative thinking. The findings of this study could be used as a basis for further research in online social-collaborative learning environment

Using online discussion forums for the professional development of mathematics teachers

We present a study of a model for professional development of mathematics teachers, based on their participation in a collaborative problem solving in online discussion forums, in two roles. At the first stage of the study, 47 high-school mathematics teachers participated in the forums as students. At the second stage, they mediated forums as mentors. The first stage of the study showed gradual development of group synergy among the teachers-as-students. The second stage showed that the experience of group synergy gained by the teachers at the first stage has supported the development of their mathematical fluency in teaching

Learning Through Collaboration: Designing Collaborative Activities to Promote Individual Learning

An experiment was designed and conducted to determine how knowledge diversity and assigned task roles for members in an online virtual collaborative group affects task performance and individual learning, and to explore the role of explanations as a mediating variable in these effects. The effects of knowledge diversity and assigned roles were examined in a collaborative network design-problem solving task, along with two control conditions to compare with individual work with and without self-explanations. Results show that explanations in dyadic discourse improve individual learning, and that groups with knowledge diversity tend to use more explanations than groups with assigned task roles. The results suggest that knowledge diversity and explanations are both important factors in determining how much individual learning occurs and how well it transfers from collaborative activities to similar, novel tasks

Cross-Cultural E-Mentor Roles in Facilitating Inquiry-Based Online Learning

This paper discusses how cross-cultural e-mentoring facilitated inquiry-based learning through community and knowledge building and the multiple roles e-mentors played in fostering transformative learning in protégées. A series of professional development programmes on “online tutoring and mentoring” were conducted by the Distance Education Modernization Project (DEMP) implemented by the Ministry of Higher Education in Sri Lanka. These programmes were conducted in the form of a blended online course using the MOODLE learning management system. The main aim of these programmes was to develop the capacity of faculty and other professionals who would be responsible for designing and delivering online programmes. One of the online activities in this course was to develop the capacity of the participants to facilitate inquiry-based learning using cross-cultural e-mentors. In each round of training, participants were divided into three groups (about 8-11 participants in each) to solve a social problem, using three inquiry-based learning formats: problem solving, role-play and case-based reasoning. The e-mentors were graduate students at the University of New Mexico, in the United States. Their goals were to facilitate the interactive activity and help the Sri Lanakan protégées solve the problem through negotiation of meaning in an online environment. The transcripts of participants in 3 rounds of training and their interactions with e-mentors were analysed. Results showed that the cross-cultural e-mentors demonstrated different strategies to help protégés to find solutions, help them build the online community and to construct knowledge by building on each other’s posts. Their contributions range from 15% - 41% of the total posts. They exhibited multiple-roles; pedagogical, managerial, technical, social, collaborative and inspirational. Protégés acknowledged that e-mentors transformed their perspectives on the social problems they dealt with, and methods of online learning

Student expectations of peers in academic asynchronous online discussion

In open, flexible, and distance learning, asynchronous online discussion persists as a popular means of interaction and collaboration. The research literature abounds with consideration of instructor roles and expectations of teachers and tools. Student-to-student interaction is widely acknowledged as a salient benefit of asynchronous online discussion, with implications for collaborative learning and problem-solving, as well as student satisfaction and course commitment. But what do students expect of their peers when communicating online for learning purposes? This question has seldom been considered, despite common reliance on peer-to-peer learning interactions. This small-scale case study incorporates an online focus group and semi-structured interviews with second-year undergraduate students studying primary teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand. The students in this study expect responsive, free-flowing contributions by peers, culminating in discussion that is active and interactive. Given the imperative to value student experience and to involve students in active learning, it is timely to share peer expectations so that students are accountable to their class community and are better prepared for collaborative learning through asynchronous online discussion

Helping design educators foster collaborative learning amongst design students

This paper discusses the development of online teaching resources that enable design educators to foster collaborative learning amongst students in the design disciplines. These online teaching resources will be made available through the Design Collaboration website. This website was recently set up by Northumbria University, a UK based institution, to provide an online resource for design educators wishing to develop collaborative pedagogies in design education. It currently contains case studies of collaborative student projects but lacks practical teaching resources. As a result, a research project was set up to compliment the current case studies by creating a suite of design-specific tools and resources that will help foster team management and development. Although various institutions have addressed the subject of group work and collaborative learning, there has been no online resource dedicated to the development of practical teaching tools to help design students work and learn together. This paper focuses on showcasing the range of teaching tools and resources developed through classroom-based trials. These resources have been developed specifically in consultation with Northumbria University's design educators and trialled with undergraduate and postgraduate students from different design disciplines. In addition, issues surrounding the translation of these tools into a practical, easy to use and accessible in an online format is discussed. The Icograda World Design Congress 2009 Education Conference is the ideal international platform to share these tools with the wider design education community. More importantly, we hope to grow the website by encouraging other design educators to submit case studies to the website, using it not only as a means of sharing good practice but also as a tool for reflection. The research value is two-fold (a) translating implicit knowledge of collaborative learning into a practical teaching resource and, (b) helping tutors improve their teaching practice, by linking the teaching resource to real experiences through case studies and interviews

Systemic intervention for computer-supported collaborative learning

This paper presents a systemic intervention approach as a means to overcome the methodological challenges involved in research into computer-supported collaborative learning applied to the promotion of mathematical problem-solving (CSCL-MPS) skills in schools. These challenges include how to develop an integrated analysis of several aspects of the learning process; and how to reflect on learning purposes, the context of application and participants' identities. The focus of systemic intervention is on processes for thinking through whose views and what issues and values should be considered pertinent in an analysis. Systemic intervention also advocates mixing methods from different traditions to address the purposes of multiple stakeholders. Consequently, a design for CSCL-MPS research is presented that includes several methods. This methodological design is used to analyse and reflect upon both a CSCL-MPS project with Colombian schools, and the identities of the participants in that project

Solved! Making the case for collaborative problem-solving

This report argues that the ability to solve problems with others is a crucial skill for our young people in the workplace of the future but the current education system does little to support it. Key findings Collaborative problem-solving (CPS) is an increasingly important skill to teach young people in order to prepare them for the future. Despite strong evidence for its impact, CPS is rarely taught in schools but if structured well it can reinforce knowledge and improve attainment. Significant barriers exist for teachers implementing this practice, from behaviour management to curriculum coverage, to task-design. For CPS to gain ground, a concerted shift is needed including teacher training, better resources and system level support. This report is part of Nesta’s ongoing commitment to equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed. It makes a series of recommendations on how organisations and policymakers can help support and embrace the implementation of CPS. Nesta is following this up with a series of small-scale pilots of aligned programmes in order to evaluate impact and explore how CPS can be implemented in a range of practical settings. Policy recommendations Stimulate production of quality collaborative problem-solving (CPS) resources and training, from primary education onwards. Fund existing, aligned programmes to scale and evaluate impact. Educate and involve the out-of-school learning sector and volunteer educators. Develop smarter collaborative problem-solving assessment methods. Help higher education organisations and MOOCs to track what works