Hierarchy and Competition in CSCW applications: Model and case study

CSCW applications need to adapt themselves to the functional and organizational structures of people that use them. However they do not usually support division in groups with a certain hierarchical structure among them. In this paper, we propose and study a theoretical model of groupware appliations that reflects those hierarchical interactions. The proposed model is also intended to evaluate the effects in performance derived from competitive and collaborative relationships among the components of a hierarchy of groups. In order to demonstrate the above ideas, a groupware game, called Alymod, was designed and implemented using a modified version of a well-known CSCW Toolkit, namely Groupkit. Groupkit was modified in order to support group interactions in the same CSCW application. In Alymod, participants compete or collaborate within a hierarchical structure to achieve a common goal (completing gaps in a text, finishing numerical series, resolving University course examinations, etc.).Publicad

Collaborative Learning Models on Distance Scenarios with Learning Design: A Case Study

6 págs, 1 fig.-- Publicado en la Sección: "Artículos seleccionados de IEEE ICALT" (ICALT'2008 - Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Santander, Cantabria, Spain, Jul 1-5, 2008).Previamente publicado como ponencia (en inglés) en: Proceedings ICALT'08 - Eighth IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, 2008, p. 278-282, http://e-archivo.uc3m.es/handle/10016/8964Collaborative learning models are widely used in educational institutions. These models require a high interaction level among students and are mainly oriented towards in-class scenarios. But when collaborative models are deployed in a distant scenario, user expressiveness is significantly reduced thus creating a gap that hinders the effectiveness of this collaboration. A computer-supported model provides a set of tools to compensate for the distant scenario and reduce this gap. This paper presents the issues and solutions derived from the design and deployment of a complex collaborative model in a distant scenario. The course structure was captured using the Learning Design specification, and an architecture based on Virtual Network Computing was used to provide the required collaborative tools. The course was included as part of a regular undergraduate program in three higher educational institutions.Trabajo parcialmente financiado por el Programa Nacional de Tecnologías de la Información y de las Comunicaciones, Proyectos MOSAIC (TSI2005-08225-C07-02/04) y LEARN3 (TIN2008-05163/TSI).Publicad

InstanceCollage: a tool for the particularization of collaborative IMS-LD scripts

Current research work in e-learning and more specifically in the field of CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) deals with design of collaborative activities, according to computer-interpretable specifications, such as IMS Learning Design, and their posterior enactment using LMSs (Learning Management Systems). A script that describes such collaborative activities is typically designed beforehand in order to structure collaboration, and defines the features that determine the behavior of the LMS, for instance, the sequence of activities or the groups/role distribution. In CSCL settings, group management and composition are especially relevant and affect the chances of achieving the expected learning outcomes. This paper presents a software tool, named InstanceCollage, which aims at facilitating the configuration and population of groups for IMS-LD scripts created with the authoring tool Collage, and discusses the implications of the IMS-LD specification with respect to this task. InstanceCollage is designed to process collaboration scripts based on CLFPs (Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns). Using this type of patterns, InstanceCollage focuses on the importance of understanding the function of groups within the learning strategy of the script. This paper describes the approach taken in InstanceCollage to facilitate this understanding for non-expert users. Additionally, two case studies are presented, which represent complex authentic collaborative learning scenarios, as a proof of concept of the functionality of this tool. The case studies are also used to illustrate the requirements of group configuration tools and to show that InstanceCollage complies to such requirements

A Hybrid Two-Stage Fuzzy ARTMAP and LVQ NeuroFuzzy System for On-Line Handwriting Recognition

This paper presents a two-stage handwriting recognizer for classification of isolated characters that exploits explicit knowledge on characters' shapes and execution plans. The first stage performs prototype extraction of the training data using a Fuzzy ARTMAP based method. These prototypes are able to improve the performance of the second stage consisting of LVQ codebooks by means of providing the aforementioned explicit knowledge on shapes and execution plans. The proposed recognizer has been tested on the UNIPEN international database achieving an average recognition rate of 90.15%, comparable to that reached by humans and other recognizers found in literature

Session S2F Collaborative Learning Strategies and Scenario-based Activities for Understanding Network Protocols

Abstract- This paper details the experience of using both scenario-based and collaborative approaches in a test laboratory for the understanding of several Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) mechanisms. Through the analysis of potential differences in expected and real behavior of those mechanisms in a set of pre-defined scenarios of real TCP traffic interchange, students are expected to detect misunderstandings and, even more interestingly, to design their own new scenarios for further clarification. Simultaneously, students are arranged in groups that collaborate, with the help of supporting computational tools, following a predefined activity sequence that is designed according to commonly used strategies in collaborative learning. Those collaborative strategies are selected so as to foster group work as well as to share the work load among group members without precluding student’s comprehension of the whole set of TCP mechanisms. The combination of both the scenario-based and collaborative approaches also contributes to the acquisition of desirable skills linked to general competencies of engineers: scenario analysis/design, interpretation, communication, argumentation, discussion, etc. The paper details the sequence of student activities, justifies the use of collaborative strategies, describes the computational support for collaborative activities, and finally provides evaluation results of this real experience as well as the resulting findings and lessons learned. Index Terms – Computer-supported collaborative learning, Network protocols education, Scenario-based learnin

IMS learning design support for the formalization of collaborative learning patterns

Collaborative Learning Patterns (CLPs) are detailed descriptions of best practices in collaborative learning. These patterns provide a way for a representation of key aspects of CSCL (Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning) that is easy to understand by software developers. To formalize these CLPs we have focused our attention on IMS Learning Design (IMS-LD). IMS-LD provides a means of expressing many different pedagogical approaches (including collaborative learning), however we have found some limitations in reflecting learning experiences that are group-based. Although this specification supports multiple roles in a learning activity, it is not possible to specify how they are going to interact. This paper points out this deficiency and proposes an extension of IMS-LD. The process that can be followed in order to obtain a unit of learning based on a CLP is illustrated with an example

Grid Characteristics and Uses: A Grid Definition

Abstract. This paper discusses the concept of grid towards achieving a complete definition using main grid characteristics and uses found in literature. Ten definitions extracted from main literature sources have been studied allowing the extraction of grid characteristics while grid uses are defined in terms of the different types of application support provided by grids. A grid definition is proposed using these characteristics and uses. This definition may be very useful to determine the limits of the grid concept as well as to explore new application fields in grid computing. In this sense, the extracted characteristics are employed to determine the potential benefits a grid infrastructure may provide to Computer Supported Collaborative Learning applications.