Allyson F. Hadwin

New Frontiers: Regulating Learning in CSCL

Despite intensive research in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) over the last decade, there is relatively little research about how groups and individuals in groups engage, sustain, support, and productively regulate collaborative processes. This article examines the role of regulatory processes in collaborative learning and how CSCL environments can be used for shared regulation of learning. First, we establish the importance of regulation processes and introduce three types of regulation contributing to successful collaboration: self-, co-, and socially shared regulation of learning. Second, we illuminate two strands of seemingly diverse research that lay an important foundation for supporting and researching regulation in CSCL contexts establishing that (a) computer-based pedagogical tools used to successfully support regulation in individual learning contexts can be leveraged for collaborative task contexts, and (b) computer-based tools for supporting collaborative knowledge construction can be leveraged for supporting regulatory processes. Finally, we draw on emerging research in our own programs of research to demonstrate how regulation can be supported and researched in CSCL environments. The article concludes by charting a course for future CSCL research focused on supporting regulated learning in collaborative task contexts.

Innovative ways for using gStudy to orchestrate and research social aspects of self-regulated learning

This paper explores the ways three different theoretical perspectives of the social aspects of self-regulated learning [Hadwin, A. F. (2000). Building a case for self-regulating as a socially constructed phenomenon. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada; Hadwin, A. F., & Oshige, M. (2006). Self-regulation, co-regulation, and socially-shared regulation: Examining many faces of social in models of SRL. In A. F. Hadwin, & S. Jarvela (Chairs), Socially constructed self-regulated learning: Where social and self meet in strategic regulation of learning. Symposium conducted at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA] have been operationalized in a computer supported learning environment called gStudy. In addition to contrasting social aspects of SRL and drawing connections with specific collaborative tools and structures, this paper explores the potential of gStudy to advance theory, research, and practice. Specifically it discusses how the utilization of differing collaborative models provides new avenues for systematically researching social aspects of SRL and their roles in collaboration.

Instructional design and assessment strategies for teaching global software development: a framework

In the context of increasing pressure to adopt global approaches to software development, the importance of teaching skills for geographically distributed software development (GSD) becomes essential. This paper reports the experience of teaching a course to prepare graduates for software engineering (SE) in global customer-developer teams, and which was taught in three-University collaboration (Canada, Australia and Italy). The course emphasized the learning of requirements management activities in frequent synchronous computer-mediated client-developer relationships and created a GSD environment with significant time zone and language differences. We describe our instructional approach and assessment strategies within a GSD instructional design framework which integrates (a) required GSD skills and strategies for aligning classroom projects with contemporary and authentic GSD conditions, (b) strategies for assessment of learning of GSD skills and (c) examples from our GSD course.

Exploring Socially Shared Regulation in the Context of Collaboration

Socially shared regulation of learning refers to processes by which group members regulate their collective activity. Successful individuals regulate their motivational, cognitive, and metacognitive engagement. Our hypothesis is that successful groups also share in regulating group processes. Following our earlier conceptual and empirical work on the social aspect of motivating and regulating learning (Hadwin & Järvelä, 2011; Järvenoja & Järvelä, 2009; Järvelä, Volet, & Järvenoja, 2010), our research questions are as follows: (a) What challenges do individuals and groups report experiencing during collaborative group work? (b) How do students collectively regulate these challenges at the time, and in future collaborations? (c) How do collaborative learning outcomes compare between groups with varying degrees of emerging shared regulation? We present an empirical study in which 18 graduate students worked in collaborative teams of 3–4 over an 8-week period. The nStudy (Winne, Hadwin, & Beaudoin, 2010) software was used for collaborative planning and work, as well as face-to-face and online collaboration between team members. Data included individual and collaborative statements about collaborative challenges, collaborative statements about contextual and future regulation strategies, collaborative learning performance, and log file traces of students’ contributions to collaborative chat discussions and planning activities. Findings indicated that the students expressed multiple challenges resulting in 3 kinds of regulation over time profiles: strong, progressive, and weak shared regulation. We also conclude that successful collaboration not only requires self-regulation but also allows each team member to support fellow team members to successfully regulate their learning and the team to come together to collectively regulate learning.

Designing roles, scripts, and prompts to support CSCL in gStudy

This paper addresses the paucity of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) tools and research that focus on actual computer embedded supports, guides, and scaffolds to effectively support the collaborative process. This paper: (a) explores the potential of support in the form of roles, scripts, and prompts to scaffold collaborative engagement in computer-based learning environments, (b) explores ways these supports might be implemented in a CSCL learning environment, namely gStudy, (c) describes how collaborative supports in gStudy might enhance opportunities for students to learn to self-regulate collaborative activity, and (d) uses examples from our research to propose ways these types of support tools might advance research in CSCL.

Scripting and awareness tools for regulating collaborative learning

Self-, co-, and shared regulation play a key role in successful collaboration.CSCL scripts and group awareness tools offer potential to support regulation.Scripts and group awareness tools used in our design based research are introduced.Scripts and group awareness tools can open new lines of inquiry into regulation. This conceptual paper addresses the need to design tools for supporting regulation in computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL). First, we extend previous work articulating the important role of self-regulation, co-regulation, and shared-regulation in successful collaboration (Hadwin, Jarvela, & Miller, 2011; Jarvela & Hadwin, 2013). Second, we draw on this theoretical framework to address the capacity of CSCL environments to support regulation of collaboration in the form of two types of tools: (a) Scripting tools that structure and sequence collaborative interactions, and (b) group awareness tools that collect, aggregate and reflect information back to learners to facilitate collaboration. Finally, directions for future research of regulation of collaboration and CSCL regulation tools are discussed.

The learning kit project: Software tools for supporting and researching regulation of collaborative learning

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a dynamic and varied area of research. Ideally, tools for CSCL support and encourage solo and group learning processes and products. However, most CSCL research does not focus on supporting and sustaining the co-construction of knowledge. We identify four reasons for this situation and identify three critical resources every collaborator brings to collaborations that are underutilized in CSCL research: (a) prior knowledge, (b) information not yet transformed into knowledge that is judged relevant to the task(s) addressed in collaboration, and (c) cognitive processes used to construct these informational resources. Finally, we introduce gStudy, a software tool designed to advance research in the learning sciences. gStudy helps learners manage cognitive load so they can re-assign cognitive resources to self-, co-, and shared regulation; and it automatically and unobtrusively traces each users engagement with content and the means chosen for cognitively processing content, thus generating real-time performance data about processes of collaborative learning.

Socially shared regulation of learning in CSCL: understanding and prompting individual- and group-level shared regulatory activities

The field of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is progressing instrumentally and theoretically. Nevertheless, few studies examine the effectiveness and efficiency of CSCL with respect to cognitive, motivational, emotional, and social issues, despite the fact that the role of regulatory processes is critical for the quality of students’ engagement in collaborative learning settings. We review the four earlier lines in developing support in CSCL and show how there has been a lack of work to support individuals in groups to engage in, sustain, and productively regulate their own and the group’s collaborative processes. Our aim is to discuss how our conceptual work in socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) contributes to effective and efficient CSCL, what tools are presently available, and what the implications of research on these tools are for future tool development.

Cross-Case Study of Self-Regulated Learning as a Series of Events.

This exploratory cross-case study: (a) examined self-regulated learning (SRL) during 3 studying episodes, and (b) explored ways 8 students of varying proficiencies productively self-regulated their learning. Profiles of SRL were constructed by examining traces of studying activity, test performance, and student reflections. Profiles were used to: (a) identify individual strengths and weaknesses, (b) compare pairs of High, Low, Average, and Improving students, and (c) construct a model of SRL proficiency. SRL proficiency (skill, will, and adaptation) was not consistent with performance. This study illustrates the importance of collecting multiple measures of SRL as a series of events over time.

Toward Standards for Reporting Research: A Review of the Lliterature on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

We conducted a meta-review of the computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) literature. This literature included a rich array of methodologies, theoretical and operational definitions, and collaborative models. However, the literature lacked an overall framework for reporting important design and research details. This paper highlights key findings from our systematic review. The paper: (a) presents the array of definitions, tools, and supports researched in the CSCL literature and (b) proposes standards for reporting collaborative models, tools, and research. These standards, which have implications for both the CSCL and computer-supported collaborative work areas, have potential to build a shared language upon which cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration may be based