Supporting Group and Individual Processes in Web-Based Collaborative Learning Environments

2010 ◽  
pp. 345-363
Author(s):  
F. Pozzi

This chapter tackles the issue of how it is possible to integrate individual differences in the learning design ofWeb-based collaborative learning experiences. In particular, in online collaborative learning environments, it is quite common to adopt techniques to support collaboration and interactions among peers. This contribution proposes to monitor the enactment of thecollaborative techniques to make individual and groupdifferences emerge, thus allowing the consequent customization of the learning experience. To this aim, a monitoring model is proposed, whose flexibility allows the tutor to bring different aspects and different levels of the ongoing learning process under control.

Author(s):  
F. Pozzi

This chapter tackles the issue of how it is possible to integrate individual differences in the learning design of Web-based collaborative learning experiences. In particular, in online collaborative learning environments, it is quite common to adopt techniques to support collaboration and interactions among peers. This contribution proposes to monitor the enactment of the collaborative techniques to make individual and group differences emerge, thus allowing the consequent customization of the learning experience. To this aim, a monitoring model is proposed, whose flexibility allows the tutor to bring different aspects and different levels of the ongoing learning process under control.


Author(s):  
Jianxia Du ◽  
Xun Ge ◽  
Ke Zhang

This case study was designed to investigate students’ perceptions and experiences of the dynamics of online collaborative learning over a semester. Multiple sources of data were collected and triangulated through pre- and post-surveys, personal interviews, group reflection papers, and instructor’s observations. Forty-one graduate students enrolled in the same course with the same instructor in two different learning environments – web-based and web-supplemented, participated in the study. The overall results indicated that students in the two environments shared their positive understandings and perceptions about online collaborative learning, which were significantly deepened over time. However, the students in the web-based class were found more positive about the advantages of online collaborative learning than those in the web-supplemented class as their learning experience developed. The study also identified the attributes that were considered crucial to successful online collaboration.


Author(s):  
Peter J. Smith ◽  
Elizabeth Stacey ◽  
Tak Shing Ha

The majority of research and literature in collaborative learning online has been focussed on groups of students organised into units of study by an educational institution. There are, however, large numbers of adult students for whom participation in institutionally controlled online collaborative learning occurs side by side with participation in situated learning contexts such as their work or their community. This chapter draws on research conducted by the authors with adult learners who participate in communities of practice and communities of learning in their own work or life contexts, and provides insights into how these outside-institution learning environments can be used in a more deliberate blending to enhance student learning experience.


Author(s):  
Gibran Garcia ◽  
Insung Jung

Previous studies have revealed that when video gamers, or users of three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds, display intense concentration coupled with an emotional engagement in their undertaking, they are affected by multisensory stimuli. This can lead to developing a feeling of detachment from the physical world, which, in turn, can lead to high levels of participation and engagement. Notwithstanding these results, it remains unclear as to whether students can experience the same kind of immersion in two-dimensional (2D) platform-based online collaborative learning spaces as has been achieved in video games and 3D worlds and, if they actually can, which features would lead to similar levels of increased engagement. This study is one of the first attempts to investigate the immersion experiences of students engaged in two 2D online collaborative learning platforms, one text-based and the other video-based. Data from eight students revealed that key features of immersion observed in video games and 3D worlds also appeared during the online collaborative activities but that the way such immersion was perceived by the students was greatly affected by the characteristics of the individual platform. When emotional engagement was considered, empathy was found to play an important role in the participants’ immersion experiences. Implications for practice or policy: Text-based platforms could be effective in motivating students to focus more on the postings, while video-based platforms may be more effective in generating empathy with others through observation of body language. When selecting a communication platform for online collaboration, sensory stimuli of the platform should be carefully examined. Empathy could be developed prior to an online collaborative activity so that students reflect on their thoughts and consider others’ feelings for a more immersive learning experience.


2016 ◽  
pp. 792-815
Author(s):  
Raymond Szmigiel ◽  
Doris Lee

Avatars are virtual agents or characters that graphically represent users within virtual environments. Avatars can be implemented in three-dimensional (3-D) virtual environments for training purposes. While there are promising findings indicating that avatars can enhance the learning experience, conclusive and generalized evaluations cannot be made at this time. The effectiveness of these virtual agents in a learning context remains an open question. The purpose of this chapter is to present background information on the definitions and use of avatars in e-based, virtual learning environments and to address the applicability of avatars to ubiquitous learning (u-learning). This chapter examines the available empirical research on the effectiveness of avatars in facilitating social interactivity, motivation, and collaborative learning in 3-D environments. Finally, this chapter provides suggestions for future studies on the design of avatars in both e- and u-learning.


Author(s):  
Alberto Andujar

This chapter analyzes the present situation of telecollaboration processes in synchronous online learning environments. The Web RTC protocol is presented as a new tool for online videoconferencing and telecollaboration that may potentially change the already in use applications for such purposes. In this vein, its characteristics such as P2P connectivity, open source protocol, no plugins installation, scalability, and accessibility guarantee that this technological development will help enhance the learning process at different levels. Higher institutions and practitioners will particularly benefit from the use of this technology as its use will increase cross-cultural knowledge as well as expand students' opportunities for out-of-class tuition.


2008 ◽  
pp. 1854-1865
Author(s):  
Aditya Johri

Online collaborative learning is a situated activity that occurs in complex settings. This study proposes a sociocultural frame for theorizing, analyzing, and designing online collaborative- learning environments. The specific focus of this study is: learning as situated activity, activity theory as a theoretical lens, activity system as an analytical framework, and activity-guided design as a design framework for online learning environments. Using data gathered from a naturalistic investigation of a global online collaborative-learning site, this study reveals how these lenses and frameworks can be applied practically. The study also identifies the importance of design iterations for learning environments.


2011 ◽  
pp. 1950-1960
Author(s):  
Elsebeth Korsgaard Sorensen

An alternative theoretical framework for analyzing and designing computer-supported collaborative learning environments is introduced. Bateson’s theory (1973) is used as a starting point for considering in what sense the specific dialogical conditions and qualities of virtual environments may support learning. We need more stringent analytical approaches of research that relate communicative qualities of virtual contexts to qualities of the collaborative knowledge-building process. This approach suggests that new didactic and instructional methods, addressing the learner’s communicative awareness at a meta-level, need to be developed in order to fully utilize the interactive and reflective potential of online collaborative learning. A deeper understanding of the reflective nature of the online environment and its potential for enhancing intellectual amplification will give rise to the birth of new and more innovative designs of online collaborative learning.


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