: We review systems that support the management of collaborative interaction, and propose a classification framework built on a simple model of coaching. Our framework distinguishes between mirroring systems, which display basic actions to collaborators, metacognitive tools, which represent the state of interaction via a set of key indicators, and coaching systems, which offer advice based on an interpretation of those indicators. The reviewed systems are further characterized by the type of interaction data they assimilate, the processes they use for deriving higher-level data representations, and the type of feedback they provide to users. Keywords: CSCL systems, interaction management, mirroring, coaching collaboration 1 Introduction Over the past decade, we have seen an explosion of network-based technologies that enable traditional and non-traditional distance learners alike to learn collaboratively. These environments enhance traditional distance learning curricula by ...

Traditional activities change in surprising ways when computermediated communication becomes a component of the activity system. In this descriptive study, we leverage two perspectives on social activity to understand the experiences of individuals who became active collaborators in Wikipedia, a prolific, cooperatively-authored online encyclopedia. Legitimate peripheral participation provides a lens for understanding participation in a community as an adaptable process that evolves over time. We use ideas from activity theory as a framework to describe our results. Finally, we describe how activity on the Wikipedia stands in striking contrast to traditional publishing and suggests a new paradigm for collaborative systems.

In writing this chapter, we (a constructivist and a situativity theorist) struggled with the distinction between situativity and constructivism. and the implications in terms of the design of learning contexts. In clarifying (and justifying) our two sides, we created straw man and pOinted fingers with respect to the limitations of each other's perspectives. We found that although discussions of situativity and of constructivism draw on different references and clearly have specialized languages, actual interpretations of situativity and of constructivism share many underlying similarities. Further, when it came to the design of learning contexts predicated on our respective theories, we found ourselves continuously forwarding similar principles and advocating for similar learning contexts. We are dealing with evolving concepts-and people use new terms to include and extend old ones. Constructivism was the label used for the departure from objectivism; however, even among those who call themselves constructivists there are different perspectives and different sets of assumptions (see Cobb, 1994, 1995; Phillips, 1995). Now the term more commonly used is situated, reflecting the key proposal from both the constructivist and situativity perspective that knowledge is situated through experience. In the context of this chapter, we found it trivial to distinguish among those learning theories and principles related to constructivism and those related to situativity theory. Rather, we discuss the various learning theories that have informed our understanding all unde ~ the heading of situativity learning theories. This term, and its associated assumptions and current interpretations, seemed to better capture the essence of the learning contexts we are forwarding as useful. However, even within the context of situativity theories we found it necessary to make distinctions, and it was these distinctions (not the distinction between constructivist and situativity views) that best captured the essence of this chapter.

Recent calls for instructional innovation in undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) courses and pro-grams highlight the need for a solid foundation of education research at the undergraduate level on which to base policy and practice. We report herein the results of a recta-analysis that integrates research on undergraduate SMET education since 1980. The meta-analysis dem-onstrates that various forms of small-group learning are effective in promoting greater academic achievement, more favorable attitudes toward learning, and increased persistence through SMET courses and programs. The magnitude of the effects reported in this study exceeds most findings in comparable reviews of research on educa-tional innovations and supports more widespread implementation of small-group learning in undergraduate SMET. The need to strengthen science and mathematics education in the U.S. was repeatedly emphasized in education studies conducted during the 1980s (e.g.,

Collaborative learning tasks involve interaction between multiple participants, who thus need to maintain some degree of mutual understanding. The process by which this is accomplished is termed grounding. The way in which collaboration, grounding and learning take place is largely determined by the task, the situation and the tools available. This paper discusses relations between grounding, collaboration and learning, drawing on research from two main areas: the Language Sciences and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory ("CHAT"). We build a unifying perspective of mutual understanding mediated by material and semiotic tools that can be used for analysis as well as for design of collaborative learning tasks, especially those that are carried out via computer-mediated communication. We illustrate the perspective with reference to a particular computermediated collaborative learning situation in the domain of physics. 1. Introduction Collaborative learning is a complex phenomenon that c...

Abstract. The goal of Interactive Pedagogical Drama (IPD) is to exploit the edifying power of story while promoting active learning. An IPD immerses the learner in an engaging, evocative story where she interacts with realistic characters. The learner makes decisions or takes actions on behalf of a character in the story, and sees the consequences of her decisions. The story’s characters are realized by autonomous agents. We discuss IPD in the context of Carmen’s Bright IDEAS (CBI), a multimedia title designed to teach problem solving skills to mother’s of pediatric cancer patients. CBI was an exploratory arm of a clinical trial and here we discuss key creative and technical aspects of the design and results from that arm.

Over the past few years, games have gone from social pariahs to the darlings of the media, technology, and now educational industries. E-learning educators in particular stand to learn a lot about building next-generation learning environments from games (Dalesio 2004). While online courses are usually little more than "online course notes, " games offer entire worlds to explore. While educators wonder if it is possible to create good online learning communities, game designers create virtual societies with their own cultures, languages, political systems, and economies (Kolbert 2001; Steinkuehler, forthcoming). While completion rates for online courses barely reach 50%, gamers spend hundreds of hours mastering games, writing lengthy texts, and even setting up their own virtual "universities " to teach others to play games (Squire, forthcoming). In short, while e-learning has a reputation for being dull and ineffective, games have developed a reputation for being fun, engaging, and immersive, requiring deep thinking and complex problem solving (Gee 2003). Given emerging research on how video games and associated pedagogies work in designed settings (Shaffer 2005), it seems the important question is not whether educators can use games to support learning, but how we can use games most effectively as educational tools. The explosion of research initiatives, conferences, books, and software focused on educational games suggests that computer and video games will have some part in education, just as all media before them have been used for learning. However, the history of educational technology also suggests that educators will

This article reviews the now extensive research literature addressing the impact of accountability on a wide range of social judgments and choices. It focuses on 4 issues: (a) What impact do various accountability ground rules have on thoughts, feelings, and action? (b) Under what conditions will accountability attenuate, have no effect on, or amplify cognitive biases? (c) Does accountability alter how people think or merely what people say they think? and (d) What goals do accountable decision makers seek to achieve? In addition, this review explores the broader implications of accountability research. It highlights the utility of treating thought as a process of internalized dialogue; the importance of documenting social and institutional boundary conditions on putative cognitive biases; and the potential to craft empirical answers to such applied problems as how to structure accountability relationships in organizations. Accountability is a modern buzzword. In education (Fairchild &

About the CRLT The CRLT has as its mission to promote and support a community of scholars dedicated to research on the design, use, and implementation of technology to improve learning. Three primary themes underlie the work at the Center: • research that contributes to the development of new pedagogical models for continuing professional development in the 21st century; • research on and evaluation of interactive distance learning environments that inform our understanding of student learning; and • research on teaching strategies for using current and emerging technologies to support student interaction, collaboration, and engagement in the issues being studied. This report is one of a series from our on-going research on learning and technology. If you have any questions or comments on this report, or if you would like to find out more about the activities of the CRLT, contact:

While the effectiveness of one-on-one human tutoring has been well established, a great deal of controversy surrounds the issue of which features of tutorial dialogue separate effective uses of dialogue in tutoring from those that are less effective. In this paper we present a formal comparison of Socratic versus Didactic style tutoring that argues in favor of the Socratic tutoring style.