This paper describes a computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) in a ubiquitous computing environment. In the environment called CLUE, the learners provide and share individual experience and interaction corpus and discuss about them. This paper focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of knowledge awareness map. The map visualizes the relationship between the shared knowledge and the current and past interactions of learners. The map plays a very important role for finding peer helpers, and inducing collaboration. 1.

Education, provides a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) infrastructure and environment for learners in synchronous learning and classroom management applications for instructors, for large classroom or distance education situations. For supporting the instructor, I-MINDS includes a teacher agent. The teacher agent allows the instructor to interact with students, manage Q&A sessions, administer quizzes, post evaluations, form groups and monitor individual and group performances. For computer-supported collaborative learning, I-MINDS provides a student agent for each student. Each student agent monitors and models its user and carries out group formation with other student agents behind-the-scene. I-MINDS provides standard online collaborative features such as chat rooms and whiteboards and implements a structured cooperative learning mechanism called Jigsaw. The system also incorporates multiagent coalition formation algorithms for forming peer groups. I-MINDS also provides a group agent for each peer group that monitors and evaluates its assigned peer group. I-MINDS has been deployed and evaluated in an introductory computer science course (CS1). Results show that intelligent tools such as I-MINDS can be used in a real-time environment to support student cooperative learning activities, and also as a testbed to collect instructional or pedagogical data for better understanding of student collaborative learning. This paper describes the I-MINDS framework, implementation, deployment, and test results comprehensively.

This paper introduces a ubiquitous computing environment in order to support the learners while doing tasks; this environment is called PERKAM (PERsonalized Knowledge Awareness Map). PERKAM allows the learners to share knowledge, interact, collaborate, and exchange individual experiences. It utilizes the RFID ubiquities technology to detect the learner’s environmental objects and location, then recommends the best matched educational materials and peer helpers in accordance with the detected objects and the current location. This environment provides the learner with Knowledge Awareness Map, which visualizes the space of the environmental objects that surround the learner, the educational materials space, and the peer helpers ’ space. PERKAM system was implemented and an experiment was done in order to evaluate the system performance and the learner’s satisfaction. This paper illustrates the design, the implementation and the evaluation of this environment, and it focuses on Knowledge Awareness Map, which is personalized according to the learner’s current need and location.

Trends in distance education show a growing emphasis in collaborative learning, stimulating students to exchange ideas and information. A collaborative environment, however, will demand a higher effort from the teacher, who will have to supervise all the discussions among the learners, so that they do not deviate from the intended topic for the lesson. Moreover, the information proceeding from the interactions among the students will provide to the teacher features that allow a individual evaluation of the students and his course. In this way, this paper describes a first experience using Multi-agent architecture able to monitor the communication tools in a distance learning group. This system analyzes the discussions taking place in these tools (discussion list, chat and newsgroups), showing to the teacher statistical information (percentile of participation and number of changed messages) and identifying possible associations in the interactions, such as, topics and subtopics that interest the students, groups of learners that interact intensively, etc.

Abstract: Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments are used today as a platform for delivering distance education and as a tool to improve student understanding via collaborative learning methods. The success of a CSCL environment in improving the knowledge of a student depends on the quality of group work of its participants. However, forming human user groups that allow all the users collaborate effectively is difficult because of the dynamic nature of the human users and the complex interplay of human factors (e.g., comfort level, proficiency, etc.). Furthermore, human behaviors change over time due to their ability to learn new skills. Thus, a framework that accommodates the unique nature of human behavior and uses it to improve the outcome of the coalitions is needed. In this paper, we present iHUCOFS – a multiagent framework for

Abstract. Over the last few years, argumentation systems have been gaining increasing importance in several areas of Artificial Intelligence, mainly as a vehicle for facilitating rationally justifiable decision making when handling incomplete and potentially inconsistent information. Argumentation provides a sound model for dialectical reasoning, which underlies discussions among students when solving tasks collaboratively in a CSCL environment. In this setting, we identify the problem of constructing Shared Knowledge and its related Shared Knowledge Awareness. While Shared Knowledge refers to the common knowledge students acquire when they work in a collaborative activity, Shared Knowledge Awareness is associated with the consciousness on the Shared Knowledge that a particular student has. This paper presents a novel approach to model Shared Knowledge construction and the associated Shared Knowledge Awareness through an automated argumentation system. 1

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning environments (CSCL) are used today as a platform for delivering distance education and as a tool to improve student understanding using collaborative learning methods. The success of a CSCL environment in improving the knowledge of a student depends on the quality of group work of its participants. However, forming human user groups that allow all the users work productively is difficult because of the dynamic nature of the human users and the complex interplay of human factors (e.g., comfort level, proficiency, etc.). Furthermore, human user behavior changes over time due to the learning and other various external stimuli. So, to make the coalitions productive for the students, the framework need to take into account how humans learn from working in a team, accommodate that change (i.e., provide support to the coalition), and use it to improve the quality of the coalitions. iHUCOFS is a multiagent framework that aims to form and support human coalitions. VALCAM is an implementation of the iHUCOFS framework that forms and supports the learner coalitions in I-MINDS – a CSCL environment. Though not conclusive, the preliminary results of using VALCAM in I-MINDS indicate that VALCAM can make an impact on the learner coalitions formed in I-MINDS.

Abstract. In an empirical study, we provided (or not) pairs of students working in a remote collaborative learning situation with a knowledge awareness tool that provided learner A with learner B's level of knowledge measured through a pre-test. We analyzed the effect of the knowledge awareness tool on asymmetric pairs with regards to the prior-knowledge. Post-hoc analysis on the pairs’ knowledge level showed that the knowledge awareness tool mainly affects the learning performances of asymmetric pairs. Further analysis on the learners’ level showed that the knowledge awareness tool mainly affects the collaborative learning gain of the more-knowledgeable peers of asymmetric pairs. The results are discussed in light of socio-cognitive processes such as audience design and perspective taking.

Abstract: In an empirical study, eye-gaze patterns of pairs of students were recorded and analyzed in a remote situation where they had to build a concept map collaboratively. They were provided (or not), with a knowledge awareness tool that provided learner A with learner B's level of knowledge measured through a pre-test. Previous results showed that the awareness tool positively affected learning gain by enhancing the production of elaborative talk and knowledge negotiation. In the present paper, we describe the actual use of a knowledge awareness tool during the course of interaction by analyzing the gaze paths recorded during the experiment and how they relate to learning performance and verbal interactions. The results showed that learners refer to the knowledge awareness tool episodically during the course of collaboration, mainly to assess the epistemic value of the information provided by the peer, especially when the peer seems uncertain about his understanding. The potential of the synchronized eye-tracking method for research in computer supported collaborative learning is discussed.

Social networks are helpful for people to solve problems by providing useful information. Therefore, the importance of mobile social software for learning has been supported by many researches. In this research, a model of personalized collaborative ubiquitous learning environment is designed and implemented in order to support learners doing learning tasks or activities. It utilizes RFID technology to detect the surrounding environmental objects and then provides social knowledge awareness map for peer helpers dynamically according to the detected objects. The map visualizes the learners ’ surrounding objects, peer helpers and the strength of the relation in the social network perspective. It is experimentally tested and evaluated in a small special community. The quantitative and qualitative data of the experiment indicate the important role of the map in augmenting the collaboration between the learners.