Online collaboration: Collaborative behavior patterns and factors affecting globally distributed team performance

Studying the collaborative behavior of online learning teams and how this behavior is related to communication mode and task type is a complex process. Research about small group learning suggests that a higher percentage of social interactions occur in synchronous rather than asynchronous mode, and that students spend more time in task-oriented interaction in asynchronous discussions than in synchronous mode. This study analyzed the collaborative interaction patterns of global software development learning teams composed of students from Turkey, US, and Panama. Data collected from students’ chat histories and forum discussions from three global software development projects were collected and compared. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used to determine the differences between a group’s communication patterns in asynchronous versus synchronous communication mode. K-means clustering with the Ward method was used to investigate the patterns of behaviors in distributed teams. The results show that communication patterns are related to communication mode, the nature of the task, and the experience level of the leader. The paper also includes recommendations for building effective online collaborative teams and describes future research possibilities.     

面向社交媒体评论的上下文语境讽刺检测模型

讽刺是日常交际中一种常见的语用现象,能够丰富说话者的观点并间接地表达说话者的深层含义。讽刺检测任务的研究目标是挖掘目标语句的讽刺倾向。针对讽刺语境表达变化多样以及不同用户、不同主题下的讽刺含义各不相同等特征,构建融合用户嵌入与论坛主题嵌入的上下文语境讽刺检测模型。该模型借助ParagraphVector方法的序列学习能力对用户评论文档与论坛主题文档进行编码,从而获取目标分类句的用户讽刺特征与主题特征,并利用一个双向门控循环单元神经网络得到目标句的语句编码。在标准讽刺检测数据集上进行的实验结果表明,与传统Bag-of-Words、CNN等模型相比,该模型能够有效提取语句的上下文语境信息,具有较高的讽刺检测分类准确率。     

Towards identifying unresolved discussions in student online forums

Online discussion is a popular form of web-based computer-mediated communication and is a dominant medium for cyber communities in areas of information sharing, customer support and distributed education. Automatic tools for analyzing online discussions are highly desirable for better information management and assistance. For example, a summary of student Q&A discussions or unresolved questions can help the instructor assess student dialogue efficiently, which can lead to better instructor guidance for student learning by discussion. This paper presents an approach for classifying student discussions according to a set of discourse structures, and identifying discussions with confusion or unanswered questions. Inspired by the existing spoken dialogue analysis approaches, we first define a set of forum “speech acts” (F-SAs) that represent roles that individual messages play in threaded Q&A discussions, such as questions, raising issues, and answers. We then model discourse structures in discussion threads using the F-SAs, such as whether a question was replied to with an answer. Finally, we use such discourse structures in classifying and identifying discussions with unanswered questions or unresolved issues. We performed an analysis of the discussion thread classifiers and the system showed accuracies from 0.79 to 0.87 on several discussion classification problems. This analysis of human conversation via online discussions provides a basis for development of future information extraction and intelligent assistance techniques for online discussions.     

A case study of online instructional collaborative discussion activities for problem-solving using situated scenarios: An examination of content and behavior cluster analysis

In some higher education courses that focus on case studies, teachers can provide situated scenarios (such as business bottlenecks and medical cases) and problem-solving discussion tasks for students to promote their cognitive skills. There is limited research on the content, performance, and behavioral patterns of teaching using online discussions and integrated situated scenarios. This case study empirically explored the learning process of adopting collaborative online instructional discussion activities for the purpose of problem-solving using situated scenarios in a higher education course. Thirty-two university students carried out problem-solving activities on case scenarios and problem-solving tasks assigned by the teacher on the discussion forum. Two forms of instructional activities were considered: 1) problem-solving in a given scenario and 2) problem-solving when learners play roles in a given scenario. The activities mentioned above were each implemented for a week.     

A study of the relationships among learning styles, participation types, and performance in programming language learning supported by online forums

This study is focused on the relationships among learning styles, participation types, and learning performance for programming language learning supported by an online forum. Kolb’s learning style inventory was used in this study to determine a learner’s learning type: ‘Diverger’, ‘Assimilator’, ‘Converger’, and ‘Accommodator’. Social Learning Theory was also used to define four participation types. These types in turn were used to describe the learning associated with the use of online forums: ‘Replier’, ‘Asker’, ‘Watcher’, and ‘No activity’.A total of 144 students participated in this experiment as part of a half semester ASP.NET programming language learning courses. The course contained an online forum for supporting the students’ social activities and participation. In this study, ‘learning score’ and ‘satisfaction’ were used to measure learning performance.The results of this study were the following: (1) different learning styles were associated with significantly different learning scores and that the ‘Accommodator’ style was associated with superior learning scores; (2) participation types were also associated with significantly different learning scores and that the ‘Replier’ type is associated with superior learning scores; (3) learning satisfaction is not significantly different among the different learning styles or different participation types, but the average is significantly higher than average values (3.5) of 7-point Likert scale; (4) there is no significant association between learning styles and participation types. Explanations and discussions of these results are offered.Based on the results of this study, we propose that programming language learning, supported with online forums and students’ active participation, increases learning performance as measured by student learning scores.     

When to jump in: The role of the instructor in online discussion forums

As asynchronous discussion forums become more prevalent in online and flexible-delivery modes of teaching, understanding the role that instructors play in student learning in these forums becomes an important issue. Whether the instructor chooses to lead discussions or to keep a low profile can affect student participation in surprising ways. In this study, we investigate how instructor participation rates, the timing of instructor postings (during or at the end of a forum) and nature of their postings (questions, answers or a mix of the two) relate to student participation and perception.     

特色专业网站学习论坛的设计与实现

为了满足学生网上学习交流的需要,以J2EE为开发平台,结合JSP技术及SQL数据库开发了特色专业网站学习论坛,实现了发布留言、回复留言、审核留言、留言管理、用户管理等功能。运行与测试结果表明,该系统的功能达到了设计要求,能够满足学生的学习需求,学生可以实时地进行网上交流。作为互助式学习平台该系统具有灵活、互动的特点,对于今后设计开发此类系统的院校有一定参考价值。     

Contextual perspective in analysing collaborative knowledge construction of two small groups in web-based discussion

This paper presents a methodology designed to explore the role of context in collaborative knowledge construction activity in asynchronous web-based discussion. The discussions of two student groups participating in a web-based teacher education course were compared. The comparison aimed to highlight the differences and similarities between the groups’ knowledge construction activity through studying the thematic structure, communicative functions and contextual resources used in their discussions. The results indicated that the different backgrounds of the two student groups influenced the way context was created and interpreted, and how meanings were negotiated. The differences and similarities between the groups’ activity illuminated the situated and mediated nature of learning. The possibilities of the methodology used in this study for evaluating collaborative knowledge construction in context are also discussed.     

Appropriating virtual learning environments: A study of teacher tactics

In research on Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs), it has been shown that teachers often do not explore VLEs to their full potential and only adopt a limited set of the available tools. In this article, we approach teachers’ design of VLE learning activities as end user development. We describe a study of Toledo, a virtual learning environment used across several higher education institutions in Belgium. Using a combination of a semiotic, multimodal analysis and an in-depth user study with 24 respondents, we provide a detailed account of how teachers appropriate the learning environment to suit their needs. Combining the insights from the semiotic investigation and the user research, we analyze how user appropriations can be explained as practices emerging from both how the platform communicates, and contextual factors. The study showed that some teachers design very specific learning activities using the VLE - not by using the dedicated VLE tool, but by reinterpreting more generic tools. These appropriation tactics concentrate platform use in a limited number of tools, even when teachers do use more complex learning activities. These results have implications for the design of VLEs: rather than offering a wide range of tools targeted at specific learning activities, VLEs could concentrate on providing basic communication tools that are open for appropriation.     

The relationships among group size,participation, and performance of programming language learning supported with online forums

This study examined the relationships among group size, participation, and learning performance factors when learning a programming language in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) context. An online forum was used as the CSCL environment for learning the Microsoft ASP.NET programming language. The collaborative-learning experiment was performed with one large group and 15 small groups.A total of 120 students participated in this experiment as part of a half-semester ASP.NET programming language course. The course contained an online forum for supporting the students' social activities and participation. This study used a participation-weighted rate for different participation types. A ‘learning score’ and a ‘learning satisfaction’ score were used to measure learning performance.The results of this study were as follows: (1) the online forum support aided collaborative learning, regardless of group size; (2) group sizes did not significantly influence learning scores directly but significantly influenced participation, and small groups had higher participation rates, which positively influenced learning scores; and (3) learning satisfaction using the online forum was higher than the average score. Small groups had higher learning satisfaction rates, and participation did not significantly influence learning satisfaction.Due to this study's results, we recommend that programs design instruction with small groups for teaching programming languages in online forums, support student-centered discussions, and encourage high levels of student participation to increase learning performance.     

Translating networked learning: un-tying relational ties

Abstract   This article explores the social network of learning beyond a functional understanding of social relations. It describes and interprets the realities of networked learning within a particular postgraduate course in an English university setting. It draws attention to some of the limitations of the increasing interest in the use of social network analysis (SNA) alongside content analysis of recent studies in the field of networked learning. In particular, SNA has been used to analyse response relations among participants in online discussions in terms of, for example, density and centrality. It argues for a different approach to a network of learning, focusing on the relational effects of multiple technical and social arrangements and engagements beyond the response relations the online environment is able to capture and store. This approach emphasizes network processes rather than network structures.     

Learning to be a psychologist: the construction of identity in an online forum

The paper reports a study that investigated the construction of a common identity in an online Italian forum of psychologists based on asynchronous CMC. Discourse analysis was carried out on 20 discussions, and three Interpretative Repertoires were identified: (i) Professional Boundaries, (ii) disempowered psychology and (iii) psychology and health, which refer to three recurrent modalities of constructing the psychological profession. The study suggests that a framework drawing on social constructionism and Bourdieu's critical theory can help understand some aspects of identity in, and across, communities of practice. The main conclusion is that analysing critically how identities are constructed in learning environments, virtual or not, allows reconsidering the role of the cultural context in the production of those identities.     

Transition from traditional to ICT-enhanced learning environments in undergraduate chemistry courses

This paper describes a three-year study conducted among chemistry instructors (professors and teaching assistants) at a post-secondary institution. The goal was to explore the integration process of information and communication technologies (ICT) into traditional teaching. Four undergraduate chemistry courses incorporated a course website, an electronic forum, computerized visualizations, and Web-based projects, into their curriculum. The learning technologies were integrated to enhance inquiry-based learning, visualizations, and knowledge sharing. The current study investigated chemistry instructors’ perceptions toward ICT and their activities while practicing the newly introduced technologies. The findings showed that integrating new practices is a phase-dependent process that consists of promises as well as complexities. Four transition steps were found to characterize the integration of ICT-learning environments: non-active, support-dependant, partial-independant, and total-independant. Findings indicated that the transition from traditional to ICT-enhanced learning environments involves ambivalent feelings and dichotomy among instructors.     

Extracting Hidden Context

Concept drift due to hidden changes in context complicates learning in many domains including financial prediction, medical diagnosis, and communication network performance. Existing machine learning approaches to this problem use an incremental learning, on-line paradigm. Batch, off-line learners tend to be ineffective in domains with hidden changes in context as they assume that the training set is homogeneous. An off-line, meta-learning approach for the identification of hidden context is presented. The new approach uses an existing batch learner and the process of contextual clustering to identify stable hidden contexts and the associated context specific, locally stable concepts. The approach is broadly applicable to the extraction of context reflected in time and spatial attributes. Several algorithms for the approach are presented and evaluated. A successful application of the approach to a complex flight simulator control task is also presented.     

Knowledge construction and misconstruction: A case study approach in asynchronous discussion using Knowledge Construction – Message Map (KCMM) and Knowledge Construction – Message Graph (KCMG)

This paper introduces a methodology for analyzing the knowledge construction and misconstruction processes occurring in online asynchronous discussion for Secondary 2 (Grade 8) students. The use of purposive sampling targeting specific students in a single course forum could potentially advance understanding of these processes using Knowledge Construction – Message Map (KCMM) and Knowledge Construction – Message Graph (KCMG). This paper traced the communication patterns and knowledge construction as well as misconstruction processes of students working in groups to formulate scientific ideas. This methodology reveals the dynamics of asynchronous discussion through mapping and quantifying the electronic learning process. This will equip educational practitioners and researchers with a useful tool for describing online interaction through adoption of a measurement methodology more systematic and effective than anecdotally. The research findings suggest that self-directed learning through asynchronous discussion has to be monitored by facilitators as learners possessed misconceptions that could potentially mislead other participants.     

Implementing virtual collaborative inquiry practises in a middle-school context

The aim of the present study was to investigate the challenges that relate to the implementation of virtual inquiry practises in middle school. The case was a school course in which a group of Finnish students (N = 14) and teachers (N = 7) completed group inquiries through virtual collaboration, using a web-based learning environment. The task was to accomplish a cross-disciplinary inquiry into cultural issues. The students worked mainly at home and took much responsibility for their course achievements. The investigators analysed the pedagogical design of the course and the content of the participants' interaction patterns in the web-based environment, using qualitative content analysis and social network analysis. The findings suggest that the students succeeded in producing distinctive cultural products, and both the students and the teachers adopted novel roles during the inquiry. The web-based learning environment was used more as a coordination tool for organizing the collaborative work than as a forum for epistemic inquiry. The tension between the school curriculum and the inquiry practises was manifest in the participants' discussions of the assessment criteria of the course.     

Contextual web searches in Facebook using learning materials and discussion messages

The web is nowadays one of the main information sources, and information search is an important area in which many advances have been registered. One approach to improve web search results is to consider contextual information. Usually, information about context has been provided through user logs on previous searches or the monitoring of clicks on first results, but different approaches can be used in specific environments. In a web based learning environment, existing documents and exchanged messages could provide contextual information. So, the main goal of this work is to provide a contextual web search engine based on shared documents and messages posted in a social network used for collaborative learning. Contextual search is provided through query expansion using learning documents (material provided by the teacher) and discussion messages (posts, links and comments that result from the participants’ interactions). A prototype was implemented and used in a learning scenario to acquire the context in a learning community. The proposed approach makes the context acquisition faster and more dynamic as it considers an automatic approach over text processing of documents and discussions. In addition, the results of the query engine with and without the contextual information were compared and the proposed approach using contextual information showed improvements in the precision of the results.     

A visualisation tool to aid exploration of students’ interactions in asynchronous online communication

Much research in recent years has focused on the introduction of virtual learning environments (VLEs) to universities, documenting practice, and sharing experience ( [Armitage et?al., 2001], [Browne and Jenkins, 2003], [Moron-Garcia, 2004] and [Weller, 2007]). Attention has been directed towards the importance of online dialogue for learning as a defining feature of the VLE.Communicative tools are an important means by which VLEs have the potential to transform learning with computers from being passive and transmissive in nature, to being active and constructivist (Pavey & Garland, 2004). However, practical methods of reviewing and analysing online communication to trace cycles of real dialogue (and learning) have proved somewhat elusive. Qualitative methods are also under-used for VLE discussions, since they demand new sets of research skills for those unfamiliar with them, and can be time intensive.This paper describes a visualisation tool to aid the analysis of online communication. The tool has two purposes: first, it can be used on a day-to-day basis by teachers or forum moderators to review the development of a discussion and to support appropriate interventions. Second, the tool can support research activities since the visualisations generated provide the basis for further qualitative and quantitative analysis of online dialogue.The visualisation software is designed to encode interaction types simply and quickly. The software was tested and then used to analyse data from a sample of forums within the Moodle VLE. The paper discusses both the method of visualisation and analysis of the online interactions as a pilot for further research analysing interaction in discussion forums.     

论坛情感挖掘研究综述：现状、挑战与趋势

大数据时代,论坛上用户的看法、倾向、观点和争论形成了大量数据。对这些能表达作者情绪的数据进行挖掘,有助于相关人员对信息的理解、把控,亦会对决策形成直接影响。为此,关注论坛情感挖掘十分重要。从论坛数据挖掘相关技术的概念和意义出发,重点讨论了论坛情感挖掘中基于情感词典和基于机器学习两种方法的研究现状,对每种方法的适用任务、不足之处、改进方案、发展趋势等进行对比和阐述。给出论坛情感挖掘领域尚待解决的难题与挑战,并对该技术未来的发展方向做出预测。