Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Environments

1
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning
Environments
Dr. Bernhard Ertl Chair of Education and
Educational Psychology Department
Psychology Ludwig Maximilian University Munich
2
What does it mean?
3
Collaborative Learning

• Small groups of learners
• Working on collaboratively
• Knowledge construction

4
Learning Environment

• Learning scenario
• Learning task
• Communication scenario
• Instructional design
• Computer support

5
Computer Support

• Enable communication
• Chat
• Newsgroups, discussion boards, forums
• Videoconferencing
• Support the instructional design
• Provide resources
• Offer shared spaces
• Introduce facilitation methods

6
Learning Platform

• Technical tool for implementation e.g.
  Blackboard, WebCT
• Offering e.g.
• Course authoring
• User administration
• Communication
• Assessment features

7
Goals for CSCLE

• Offering benefits from new technologies
• Improving learning processes and outcomes
• Enabling distance learning

8
Central Feature of CSCLE The Shared Screen

• Entrance to the learning environment
• Provides learning context (e.g. resources)
• Providing space for knowledge construction

9
Learning Tasks and Their Realizations in CSCLE
10
Exemplary Tasks

• Group discussion
• Decision making
• Problem-solving

11
Task Group Discussion

• Analyzing a learning case
• Focus on individual analyses and group
  reflections
• Asynchronous communication scenario (forum)

12
Overview of the contributions in the forum
Writing a contribution
Task information and timer
Case information
Orientation map of the learning environment
Prompts in the discussion area
Weinberger (2003)
13
Characteristics

• Asynchronous discussion provides time for
  elaborate analyses
• Learners depend on the others contribution for
  discussion
• Need for similar paces

14
Task Decision Making

• Highly interactive
• Focus on collaborative negotiation
• Synchronous communication scenario (chat)

15
Elements of the learning environment (Pata, 2005)
16
Characteristics

• Synchronous communication features immersive
  argumentation
• Optional facilities (e.g. shared web browsing,
  shared whiteboard) necessary for making important
  contents permanent

17
Task Collaborative Teaching

• Interactive
• Need for elaborations
• Videoconferencing scenario

18
Videoconference

• Shared Audio
• Shared Video
• Shared Application

19
Shared Application (Text Editor)

• Interaction of genotype and environment
•        Genotype (unique combination of
  individuals genes)
•        Phenotype (individuals visible attributes
  and characteristics)
•        Environment (all outside effects)
•  
• Interactive structure strong interdependency
  between the genotype of the parents/child, the
  phenotype and the environment
•  
• 3 genotype environment effects
•        Passive genotype environment effect
  (parents impact in early childhood, decreases
  with childs growth)
•        Reactive genotype environment effect
  (environment reacts on the childs genotype
  impact remains stable at each age)
•        Active genotype environment effect (when
  growing up, the child takes a more and more
  active role, impact of the genotype increases
  niche-picking)
•  
• Evidence from twin and adoption studies

20
Characteristics

• Spoken discussion enables interaction and
  elaboration
• Shared application makes important contents
  permanent

21
Task Collaborative Problem-Solving

• Interactive
• Focus on collaborative analyses and solutions
• Use of visualization tools
• Co-present scenario

22
Shared Visualization
23
Characteristics

• Co-present scenario enables extensive gesture of
  the learners
• They can use their fingers pointing on the screen
  to show objects to one another.

24
Comparison

• Each communication scenario has advantages and
  disadvantages
• Each scenario can feature aspects or a particular
  focus of the task
• The issue, which kind of communication scenario
  to use depends on the task

25
Conclusion

• It depends rather on the task and on the
  instructional design than on the medium

26
ApplicationE-Tutors VHB a virtual course for
tutor training

• Prof. Dr. Heinz Mandl
• Katharina Schnurer, M.A.

27
Starting Point

• The Adult Education Center of Bavaria (VHB)
  coordinates a large number of virtual course
  offerings for Bavarian universities
• To date there has been no centralized training
  for the individuals who organize these offerings

28
Goal of the Course Offering

• Relaying basic knowledge about
• Tasks and roles of an E-Tutor
• Basic principles of media didactics
• Supporting virtual learners
• Technical aspects

6 week total duration with about 5 hours of
working time per week
29
Participants

• 28 individuals...
• ... from 12 different Bavaian universities
• ... from various subject areas (medicine, law,
  business, education, linguistics, computer
  science...)

30
Course Structure
31
Course Design

• 6 small groups of 4-5 individuals
• 1 week to complete each unit
• Within each unit, one topic to be learned through
  an individual task and one group activity

32
Platform

• Open Source-Platform ComVironment
• Authoring tool
• Administration tool
• Evaluation tool
• Communication tool (asynchronous)

33
Platform Contents
34
Plattform - Communication
35
Applicability in the Course

• Group activities
• ... With self-reflection
• ... With exchange of experiences
• ... With concrete instruments
• Problem-oriented structure
• Intensive discussions in the workshops

36
Supervising the Course

• 24 hour response
• Feedback following each task
• Question exchange
• pdf-files
• Group-dynamic Observation

37
Course Evaluation

• Throughout the course after each module
  (formative)
• Retrospectively after the course (summative)
• Using surveys with closed-ended items and
  open-ended questions

38
Course Evaluation

• Results of the summative evaluation

39
Conclusion

• Overall high acceptance of the course
• Minor problems involving the collective group
  activities
• Participants expressed quite heterogeneous
  preferences

40
Conclusion

• A meaningful course can be achieved even using
  simple and cost-effective means
• Course supervision is a critical and often
  underestimated factor