Trends in CSCL Research

Structuring interaction

Tools for structuring asynchronous discussion

Instead of plane discussion forums these tools are designed for supporting productive discussion. The tool is nothing without a pedagogical scenario defining roles, topics, rules and dialogue patterns.

Large group interaction

• YRE: A campaign of the Foundation for environmental education in Europe (Feee). « Young reporters for the environment » is an environmental education programme designed for secondary school students. Investigation teams are groups of 3 to 6 schools from at least 3 different countries. They investigate the same issue in different regions of Europe and produce a co-operative article during the year, see for instance the Malafarøsund cooperative writing workshop (Hypernews)
• Authorware Hypernews
• CSILE: Computer-Supported Intentional Learning Environment. Quote: "Provides across-the-curriculum support for collaborative learning and inquiry. Students can enter text and graphic notes into the database on any topic their teacher has created.Various note formats and supports have been designed to enhance the potential of the communal database for collaborative knowledge-building." CSILE Papers * CSILE Team * Demo Login
• COW: Indiana University School of Education Web Conferencing System Based on San Francisco State University's COW (Conferencing on the Web), by Curtis BONK. Used for case-based discussion in teacher training (Scenario = case-based rather than general discussions + heavy mentoring)

Pair interaction

• Belvedere by Daniel Suthers. Picture your students learning reflective inquiry skills by working together in teams to research and report on real scientific problems. Picture them learning skills for everyday life as well as science: identifying an issue, organizing their thoughts, forming hypotheses, planning a project, finding and evaluating new information, communicating their results, and working cooperatively with others. screen snapshot
• HERON by Kurt Reusser

Tools for structuring synchronous interaction (in collaborative problem-solving)

A CSCL software may simply let the users interact through a plane chat box or provide them with sentence-openers and pre-defined communicative acts inspired by speech-act like theories. The flexible structuring issue (Baker) : how much freedom must be left to the pairs so that the interface doesn't become obstrusive ? The effect of this structuration by the interface seems however less important than the way the task structures the interaction. (Veerman & Treasure-Jones)

• C-CHENE * Snapshots : Interface and Sentence openers
• Jermann 1.0 communication and task interface
• Belvedere
• Okamoto

Shared Workspaces

Adapting tools to group size

Large groups

• Phase X at the ETHZ Architecture Faculty, CAAD group.

Small groups

• Whiteboard

Increasing awareness

The tool provides information regarding to what your partner is doing, where he is in the virtual space and what he is looking at. Awareness is important in WYSIWIS-relaxed environments says Greenberg.

Knowledge awareness

• Sharlock

Activity awareness

• A summary of Workspace Awareness Research and related widgets, e.g. the portrait radar view * Fisheye Text Viewer

Location awareness

• MOO

Gaze & pointing awareness

• STEVE snapshots: head-mounted displays and Steve in action
• HyClass * Snapshots * Main features:
  • Learners can learn together.
  • Learners can exercise dangerous or virtual experiments.
  • Learners can walk through the virtual classroom.
  • Multiple learners can cooperate in the shared virtual classroom.
  • Learners can perform various operations of objects.
  • Learners can add objects dynamically.
  • Learners can modify attributes of objects.
• eye contact in Shared ARK
• DIVE * Pictures * Movies

Exploiting Virtual Space

Text-based

• TECFAMOO Project Page * WWW-Interface
• Moo Based Course Delivery for C++. This project will offer a network-based course introducing C++ programming to DoDEA teachers. (C++ is a modernization of the C programming language.) The course will be offered in a MOO (MUD Object Oriented.) A MOO is a computer based "environment" which has things such as rooms, objects, and people. Users can move around and take action in this imaginary but realistic "virtual" environment, just as they would in real life. Students can work collaboratively or individually within this environment
• EduMUD with Authoring Tools. EduMUD is a system which delivers multimedia instructional material (i.e., text, pictures, sound, video, etc.) in a social-interaction workspace known as a MUD (Multi-User Domain). The term "EduMUD" is a contraction of "Educational MUD".
• Pueblo. Network learning spaces that provide the fabric for design, experimentation, and interaction across curriculum and grade levels. These spaces build on existing Multi-User Domain (MUD) technology to allow for integrated Internet access, tutoring agents, modeling, simulation, and problem-solving capabilities. Social, technical, and educational practices for learning will be integrated into the MUDs. The MUDs will resemble those developed in the Pueblo community, which are existing MUD-based on-line communities of students, teachers, administrators, and researchers.

Graphical

• Tapped In is a growing community of K-14 teachers engaged in professional discourse, collaborative work, and other on-line activities. Snapshot * Connection
• HyClass can be here too
• DIVE

Adding Artificial/Animated Agents

• CAETI Center MOO. Wyndhaven, connects to the 2-D part of the Centre.
  Here's more info on the Centre and how to use it:

  The Centre: receptionist and guide agents guide visitors through a repository of computer-aided educational and training programs. Receptionist greets visitors, answers questions about the Centre, and arranges tours. Visitors can choose to go on prepackaged tours or have a tour customized for them by the guide. Guide takes visitors to different project rooms and can answer questions about project.

  • type \help guide or \help receptionist for sample questions or help with guide interactions
  • type \help for general MOO interaction & command help

  The Centre is at a public web site: www.centrevue.com

  You will need to register as a citizen and then you will receive a password back by e-mail. Recommend you try the 2-D version, there are no avatars but environment is reliable. The 3-D version (using Black Sun) was never stabilized (the 3-D version was done by another contractor).

  The MOO environment runs off a server from the company that built it, Intermetrics in Boston. Our Centre agents run off our server in Palo Alto. During the course of the project we dedicated a server to it, but now we sometimes we shut it down when we have other resource needs. So if you enter the lobby and there is no receptionist there or she does not greet you, then let me know and we will reset it.

• Intelligent Agents for MUDs.The Performers will develop a set of computer tools, referred to as "intelligent agents," which will make it easier for students and teachers to access educational material on the Internet. These agents will be called "Librarian," "Guide," "Teacher Associate," "Student Mentor," "Matchmaker," and "Historian."
• In Belvedere Agents make comments

Management of CSCL

Group Formation

• COLLIDE * Tutorial (Ulrich Hoppe)
• KOBE
• Multiple Choice Classifyer, the post-mdoern conflict generation machine !

Tools for monitoring and regulating interaction

• MOOobservers snapshots
• Maintaining Interaction History