Group awareness in CSCL environments

Group awareness is an emerging topic in research on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). It covers the knowledge and perception of behavioral, cognitive, and social context information on a group or its members. A central aim of CSCL-related research on group awareness is the development of tools that implicitly guide learners’ behavior, communication, and reflection by the presentation of information on a learning partner or a group. This special issue comprises six empirical contributions and a concluding discussion that present a broad spectrum of current research on this topic including behavioral, cognitive and social group awareness. An introductory outline of how group awareness is formed, processed and translated in action along the contributions is intended to integrate the diverse research activities on group awareness in CSCL environments.     

Enhancing non-task sociability of asynchronous CSCL environments

While from a technological perspective Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) systems have been improved considerably, previous studies have shown that the social aspect of the CSCL is often neglected or assumed to happen automatically by simply creating such virtual learning environments. By distinguishing between students’ non-task social interactions from on-task interactions, and through a content analysis, this paper demonstrates that non-task interactions do occur frequently in CSCL environments. Furthermore, by conducting a self-reported survey, the present study operationalizes non-task sociability of CSCL environments and determines factors that affect them. The findings from the survey revealed that the sense of cohesion and awareness about others significantly impact the non-task sociability of CSCL. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the perception of self-representation and perception of compatibility affect the sense of cohesion and awareness about others and indirectly contribute to the perceived non-pedagogical sociability of the environment. The findings of this paper can be used in future research for investigating the relationship between the non-task sociability of CSCL and other CSCL factors. The study also provides the CSCL lecturers and facilitators with a conceptual model by which sociability can be explicitly addressed in their course planning and delivery processes. And finally, this study develops and validates an instrument that guides required changes in current CSCL systems to improve the non-task social functionality of the environment.     

Measuring perceived sociability of computer-supported collaborative learning environments

Most asynchronous computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments can be characterized as functional environments because they focus on functional, task-specific support, often disregarding explicit support for the social (emotional) aspects of learning in groups which are acknowledged by many educational researchers to be essential for effective collaborative learning. In contrast, sociable CSCL environments emphasize the social (emotional) aspects of group learning. We define sociability as the extent to which a CSCL environment is perceived to be able to facilitate the emergence of a sound social space with attributes as trust and belonging, a strong sense of community, and good working relationships. Specific environmental characteristics, which we have designated social affordances, determine sociability.     

Visualization of participation: Does it contribute to successful computer-supported collaborative learning?

This study investigated the effects of visualization of participation during computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). It is hypothesized that visualization of participation could contribute to successful CSCL. A CSCL-environment was augmented with the Participation Tool (PT). The PT visualizes how much each group member contributes to his or her group’s online communication. Using a posttest-only design with a treatment (N = 52) and a control group (N = 17), it was examined whether students with access to the PT participated more and more equally during collaboration, reported higher awareness of group processes and activities, collaborated differently, and performed better than students without access to the PT. The results show that students used the PT quite intensively. Furthermore, compared to control group students, treatment group students participated more and engaged more in coordination and regulation of social activities during collaboration by sending more statements that addressed the planning of social activities. However, equality of participation, awareness of group processes and quality of the group products was not higher in the treatment condition. Still, the results of this study demonstrate that visualization of participation can contribute to successful CSCL.     

Measurement and assessment in computer-supported collaborative learning

The overall goal of CSCL research is to design software tools and collaborative environments that facilitate social knowledge construction via a valuable assortment of methodologies, theoretical and operational definitions, and multiple structures [Hadwin, A. F., Gress, C. L. Z., & Page, J. (2006). Toward standards for reporting research: a review of the literature on computer-supported collaborative learning. In Paper presented at the 6th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies, Kerkrade, Netherlands; Lehtinen, E. (2003). Computer-supported collaborative learning: an approach to powerful learning environments. In E. De Corte, L. Verschaffel, N. Entwistle & J. Van Merriëboer (Eds.), Unravelling basic components and dimensions of powerful learning environments (pp. 35–53). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier]. Various CSCL tools attempt to support constructs associated with effective collaboration, such as awareness tools to support positive social interaction [Carroll, J. M., Neale, D. C., Isenhour, P. L., Rosson, M. B., & McCrickard, D. S. (2003). Notification and awareness: Synchronizing task-oriented collaborative activity. International Journal of Human–Computer Studies 58, 605] and negotiation tools to support group social skills and discussions [Beers, P. J., Boshuizen, H. P. A. E., Kirschner, P. A., & Gijselaers, W. H. (2005). Computer support for knowledge construction in collaborative learning environments. Computers in Human Behavior 21, 623–643], yet few studies developed or used pre-existing measures to evaluate these tools in relation to the above constructs. This paper describes a review of the measures used in CSCL to answer three fundamental questions: (a) What measures are utilized in CSCL research? (b) Do measures examine the effectiveness of attempts to facilitate, support, and sustain CSCL? And (c) When are the measures administered? Our review has six key findings: there is a plethora of self-report yet a paucity of baseline information above collaboration and collaborative activities, findings in the field are dominated by ‘after collaboration’ measurement, there is little replication and an over reliance on text-based measures, and an insufficient collection of tools and measures for examining processes involved in CSCL.     

An instrumental perspective on CSCL systems

The theory of instrumental genesis of Rabardel relates the social and the technical through the concept of instrument. An instrument is defined as a mixed entity made up by an artifact, the technical/material part, and a set of utilization schemes, the social/behavioural part, which both result from users?? constructive activities. This theory is not dedicated to learning contexts, but it can help illuminate many aspects of instrument-mediated collaborative learning situations and CSCL systems. In the first part of this article, the foundational concepts of Rabardel??s theory are summarized and discussed. Drawing from that perspective, the second part of the article stresses (1) the complexity of CSCL instrument geneses mainly due to their dual nature ?Cwith both teachers and learners involved in the process, and (2) the multifaceted mediating role CSCL systems can play during both task performance and resources elaboration activities. It is argued that the relative importance of teachers and learners during instrumental geneses is the essential discriminating characteristic of CSCL systems. In the resulting categories (??user-instrumentalizable systems?? and ??teacher-instrumentalizable systems??), the degree to which systems support the constructive activities related to their own development is considered another important differentiating factor. The third part of the article aims at elaborating and illustrating with representative examples of CSCL systems that theory-based classification. The article concludes by suggesting a number of directions for further research in the field.     

Visualization of participation: Does it contribute to successful computer-supported collaborative learning?

This study investigated the effects of visualization of participation during computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). It is hypothesized that visualization of participation could contribute to successful CSCL. A CSCL-environment was augmented with the Participation Tool (PT). The PT visualizes how much each group member contributes to his or her group’s online communication. Using a posttest-only design with a treatment (N = 52) and a control group (N = 17), it was examined whether students with access to the PT participated more and more equally during collaboration, reported higher awareness of group processes and activities, collaborated differently, and performed better than students without access to the PT. The results show that students used the PT quite intensively. Furthermore, compared to control group students, treatment group students participated more and engaged more in coordination and regulation of social activities during collaboration by sending more statements that addressed the planning of social activities. However, equality of participation, awareness of group processes and quality of the group products was not higher in the treatment condition. Still, the results of this study demonstrate that visualization of participation can contribute to successful CSCL.     

The need for considering multilevel analysis in CSCL research—An appeal for the use of more advanced statistical methods

Per definition, CSCL research deals with the data of individuals nested in groups, and the influence of a specific learning setting on the collaborative process of learning. Most well-established statistical methods are not able to analyze such nested data adequately. This article describes the problems which arise when standard methods are applied and introduces multilevel modelling (MLM) as an alternative and adequate statistical approach in CSCL research. MLM enables testing interactional effects of predictor variables varying within groups (for example, the activity of group members in a chat) and predictors varying between groups (for example, the group homogeneity created by group members’ prior knowledge). So it allows taking into account that an instruction, tool or learning environment has different but systematic effects on the members within the groups on the one hand and on the groups on the other hand. The underlying statistical model of MLM is described using an example from CSCL. Attention is drawn to the fact that MLM requires large sample sizes which are not provided in most CSCL research. A proposal is made for the use of some analyses which are useful.     

The learning kit project: Software tools for supporting and researching regulation of collaborative learning

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a dynamic and varied area of research. Ideally, tools for CSCL support and encourage solo and group learning processes and products. However, most CSCL research does not focus on supporting and sustaining the co-construction of knowledge. We identify four reasons for this situation and identify three critical resources every collaborator brings to collaborations that are underutilized in CSCL research: (a) prior knowledge, (b) information not yet transformed into knowledge that is judged relevant to the task(s) addressed in collaboration, and (c) cognitive processes used to construct these informational resources. Finally, we introduce gStudy, a software tool designed to advance research in the learning sciences. gStudy helps learners manage cognitive load so they can re-assign cognitive resources to self-, co-, and shared regulation; and it automatically and unobtrusively traces each user′s engagement with content and the means chosen for cognitively processing content, thus generating real-time performance data about processes of collaborative learning.     

Awareness of cognitive and social behaviour in a CSCL environment

Most distributed and virtual online environments for and pedagogies of computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) neglect the social and social‐emotional aspects underlying the group dynamics of learning and working in a CSCL group. These group dynamics often determine whether the group will develop into a well‐performing team and whether a sound social space emerges. Using a theory‐based CSCL framework, two studies evaluated whether two tools, Radar and Reflector, supported cognitive, social and socio‐emotional aspects of team development, encouraging promotive interaction and group processing in the teams. While not affecting product quality, tool use did lead to groups who perceived their team as being better developed, as having higher levels of group satisfaction and lower levels of conflicts. The results support that promotive interaction and group processing was increased by using Radar and Reflector.     

Conceptualizing the designs of authentic computer-supported collaborative learning environments in schools

A major perspective within research on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) approaches learning as a cultural practice and considers the implications of this on the way classroom learning environments are designed. Often referred to as authentic learning, many innovative approaches to the design of learning environments come with the intention that practices of the people who are experts in a domain are enculturated by the participating students. Different approaches taken given the constraints of educational settings have led to conceptual fragmentation in this area of CSCL scholarship. Therefore, the dual aim of this research is to advance our understanding of the relevant cultures at play when designing for authenticity and show how these cut across different approaches taken for the design of authentic CSCL environments in schools. Using the constant-comparative method, we looked back at the past quarter century of sociocultural research to analyze the way different variations of sociocultural activities, scenes, participants, time, and cultural tools have been designed within authentic CSCL environments. A refined conceptualization of authentic learning that elucidates the relationships between intended, current, and authentic cultures emerged coupled with a novel coding scheme and visualization tool that can help the field rise above the wide variation in designs for authenticity.

     

Socially shared regulation of learning in CSCL: understanding and prompting individual- and group-level shared regulatory activities

The field of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is progressing instrumentally and theoretically. Nevertheless, few studies examine the effectiveness and efficiency of CSCL with respect to cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social issues, despite the fact that the role of regulatory processes is critical for the quality of students’ engagement in collaborative learning settings. We review the four earlier lines in developing support in CSCL and show how there has been a lack of work to support individuals in groups to engage in, sustain, and productively regulate their own and the group’s collaborative processes. Our aim is to discuss how our conceptual work in socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) contributes to effective and efficient CSCL, what tools are presently available, and what the implications of research on these tools are for future tool development.     

Roles,design, and the nature of CSCL

In this article, I argue that roles are a key construct for CSCL that demonstrate the interdisciplinary strengths of CSCL as a field. CSCL is a problem-driven field with a history of incorporating different paradigms, and has the advantage of using a design stance to understand phenomena like collaboration and learning that are difficult to study. Roles are understood differently by different disciplines, but the concept of roles serves as a boundary object between the different disciplines within CSCL and highlights potential areas for research.     

Cultural ways of constructing knowledge: the role of identities in online group discussions

Learning scientists and the CSCL community have argued that knowledge construction is a process of collective thinking; a process that is simultaneously personal and social that requires group cognition. However, while CSCL researchers have investigated situated knowledge in the process of collective thinking, little work has been done to fully understand how different identification categories play a role in sense-making and knowledge construction. This research, therefore, explores in detail how individuals operationalize identification categories when they engage in group discussions in online learning environments. Results demonstrate that individuals do not experience online learning through only one aspect of their identity. Rather, learning experiences evoke different elements of their identities that are used continuously and simultaneously when they collaborate with each other in the phases of knowledge construction.     

The role of cultural diversity and leadership in computer-supported collaborative learning: a content analysis

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies are increasingly being used to support collaborative learning in groups. Its potential to shift the traditional pedagogical paradigm triggers considerable amount of research. However, very few of the research studies focus on the social interactions and their influences on the learning process, which are crucial to understanding computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). This paper reports on a laboratory experiment with a 2×2 factorial design, conducted to investigate the influences of cultural diversity and leadership availability on the CSCL process using a content analysis approach. With the mediation of CMC systems, cultural diversity is found to engender more informational influences but reduce normative influences. Leadership has a positive effect on both normative and informational influences. Taking into account the learning outcomes, it is evident that the influences of the interaction process are closely related to CSCL effectiveness.     

Affordances revisited: Articulating a Merleau-Pontian view

This article takes a renewed look at the concept of “affordance.” It points out that the concept is being used within the CSCL community in ways which signify an underlying disagreement concerning the exact ontological nature and epistemological status of an “affordance.” Such disagreement, it is argued, is a problem for both design and empirical research. Because HCI discussions of the concept have informed CSCL, views presented within this discourse are discussed. A Merleau-Pontian account of affordances is developed, building on his view of the human being as always already being-in-the world in a non-thematized, pre-reflective correspondence of body and world in the concrete activity. A dynamic, agent-centred, cultural-, experience- and skill-relative, but perception-independent, ontology is proposed for affordances. Toward the end of the article, examples are given of how the Merleau-Pontian account of affordances may shift the focus of empirical research and of design processes within CSCL.