Chen-Chung Liu

An analysis of peer interaction patterns as discoursed by on-line small group problem-solving activity

Currently, numerous on-line discussion forums have been developed for educational purposes; therefore, a better understanding about peer student discussion or discourse interactions is quite important. Through gathering peer learning interactions on 57 college computer science students, who were randomly assigned into 14 small groups for solving programming problems, this study analyzed the content of their discourse interactions. First, it was revealed that the most frequent interactions were related to some questions or suggestions regarding how to effectively coordinate peer members. However, different features of peer interactions were found across different small groups. By time sequence analysis of peer interactions, it was found that issues and positions were proposed mostly in the initial and middle stages of the study, while the conflicts frequently occurred in the beginning stage. Finally, this study suggested five peer interaction patterns in terms of peer knowledge exchange, including centralized knowledge exchange, distributive knowledge exchange, group development impediment, ability impediment and partial knowledge exchange. A further analysis of students knowledge exchange patterns revealed that peer students background abilities played an important role on the ways of knowledge exchange involved in the on-line peer learning activity. Certain configurations of students background abilities tended to lead to a particular communication pattern. The implications derived from the findings for educational practice were also discussed. For example, the small groups with peer members of high achievement (or heterogeneous abilities) may not guarantee the success of group work. Many of them need teachers or moderators to scaffold the process of peer interactions and learning.

The effect of simulation games on the learning of computational problem solving

Simulation games are now increasingly applied to many subject domains as they allow students to engage in discovery processes, and may facilitate a flow learning experience. However, the relationship between learning experiences and problem solving strategies in simulation games still remains unclear in the literature. This study, thus, analyzed the feedback and problem solving behaviors of 117 students in a simulation game, designed to assist them to learn computational problem solving. It was found that students when learning computational problem solving with the game were more likely to perceive a flow learning experience than in traditional lectures. The students intrinsic motivation was also enhanced when they learned with the simulation game. In particular, the results of the study found a close association between the students learning experience states and their problem solving strategies. The students who perceived a flow experience state frequently applied trial-and-error, learning-by-example, and analytical reasoning strategies to learn the computational problem solving skills. However, a certain portion of students who experienced states of boredom and anxiety did not demonstrate in-depth problem solving strategies. For instance, the students who felt anxious in the simulation game did not apply the learning-by-example strategy as frequently as those in the flow state. In addition, the students who felt bored in the simulation game only learned to solve the problem at a superficial level.

Do handheld devices facilitate face-to-face collaboration? Handheld devices with large shared display groupware to facilitate group interactions

One-to-one computing environments change and improve classroom dynamics as individual students can bring handheld devices fitted with wireless communication capabilities into the classrooms. However, the screens of handheld devices, being designed for individual-user mobile application, limit promotion of interaction among groups of learners. This study proposes a design of classrooms that incorporates personal workspace and public workspace. Students use handheld devices as private workspace and work with peers on public workspace with shared displays through their handheld devices. Experiments confirmed that students with only handheld devices did not demonstrate expected participation ratios and actively interact with group members. The proposed shared display groupware promoted shared understanding of the workspace and increased awareness of partner actions. Collaboration was enhanced by creating the opportunity for students to use handheld devices to perform ideal communication patterns and avoiding ineffective communication patterns.

Discovering Decision Knowledge from Web Log Portfolio for Managing Classroom Processes by Applying Decision Tree and Data Cube Technology

In conventional classrooms, teachers attempt to enhance instruction by monitoring students learning processes and analyzing their performances by paper records and observation. Similarly, distance learning systems on the Web should be designed to record students behaviors to assist teachers in assessing performance and making decisions related to curriculum. Recent developments in Web server systems can record the students access to the learning systems in Web logs. Information processing analysis on the historical classroom processes can help teachers to develop knowledge for applying proper teaching strategies according to available information in Web logs. However, teachers cannot easily infer the pedagogical meaning of Web logs and discover the pedagogical rules of students behavior patterns in the Web logs to refine teaching strategies. Therefore, to use Web logs for pedagogical purposes, this article adopts decision tree and data cube information processing methodologies to observe students behaviors and discover the pedagogical rules on students learning performance from Web logs. The architecture and guidelines of utilizing the data cube and decision tree methodologies for pedagogical purposes are also presented. Consequently, teachers can efficiently estimate and explain the effectiveness of pedagogical strategies, ultimately improving instruction with decision tree and data cube software.

Web Learning Portfolios: A Tool For Supporting Performance Awareness

A teacher can use student portfolios to evaluate learning performance and promote learning outcomes. The portfolios can also be used as a communication channel among students and teachers as students implement them on the web. However, it is burdensome for teachers to obtain the required information to determine student learning status. This study describes how to design a web portfolio system that enables teachers to use information technologies to guide and evaluate student learning processes. Teachers can utilize this design to analyse the web portfolios online to improve instruction, understand the progress of students and guide their learning. An evaluation of the web portfolio system by students indicates that the applied technologies help students control their learning processes through developing portfolios. Students also believe the web portfolios serve as an effective communication channel and media that can increasingly integrate their learning outcomes for assessment purposes.

Peer Assessment through Web-Based Knowledge Acquisition: Tools to Support Conceptual Awareness

Web‐based peer assessment is an innovative method that can be used to assess students learning portfolios in order to improve their learning. However, students cannot easily compare their own evaluation schemes or think reflectively to improve their learning through web‐based peer assessment if they do not understand how others perceive the assessment criteria. This study attempts to utilize knowledge acquisition techniques in order to elicit personal understanding of assessment criteria. Using repertory grid analysis, web‐based peer assessment systems can elucidate personal conceptual frameworks and evaluation schemes when students use their own criteria to assess learning portfolios. The analysis provides an instrument for monitoring the students conceptual frameworks—which may lead to different peer–teacher correlations regarding assessment. This instrument allows teachers and students to understand fully each others conceptual frameworks and evaluation schemes—thereby allowing them to think reflectively and improve their learning.

An enhanced concept map approach to improving children's storytelling ability

Storytelling is an imperative and innovative pathway to enhance learning due to the fact that such activity prompts learners to reflect to construct meaning based on their observations and knowledge. Therefore, to develop and enhance students storytelling ability has become an important issue for both educators and researchers. Since storytelling involves complex cognitive processes, this study proposed an enhanced concept map approach featured with story grammars to help children develop stories. By gathering the stories developed by 114 third-graders, this study aimed to investigate whether the concept map approach can enhance their storytelling ability. It is found that the children, who used the concept map with story grammars, can develop stories with more complex structure, clearer subjects, more creative ideas, and abundant contents than those only using the concept map without the grammars. Such findings support that the concept map and story grammars can be an effective approach for developing learner-centered storytelling tools which help students develop and apply the knowledge about storytelling.

A constructionism framework for designing game-like learning systems: Its effect on different learners

Game-like learning systems such as simulation games and digital toys are increasingly being applied to foster higher-level abilities in educational contexts, as they may facilitate an active learning experience. However, the effect of such game-like learning systems is not guaranteed because students may only be interested in the fantasy interfaces and the elaborate scenarios, rather than in the learning tasks. In this vein, the study presented in this paper addresses this issue from the perspective of constructionism. A design framework based on constructionism, which highlights the principles of construction as the goal, low-threshold-high-ceiling and computer simulation is proposed for designing game-like learning systems. An evaluation was conducted to investigate the influence of the framework on the flow experiences and learning strategies of different students. The results of this study show that computer simulation is an integral component to promote exploratory learning activities. The results of this study also indicate that the framework was particularly helpful for those students with low background knowledge in balancing challenge and skill perceptions. For those students with middle and high level background knowledge, it also promoted the learning experience by either reducing the challenge perception or promoting the skill perception. Such findings suggest that the constructionism framework is a particularly important design guideline to engage students of different levels in active learning activities. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Computer games are increasingly being applied to foster higher-level abilities in educational contexts., Learning with a game is sensitive to individual differences., What this paper adds A game design framework based on constructionism is proposed to illustrate how low-threshold-high-ceiling principle and computer simulations may be used to help students of different levels learn with games., Implications for practice and/or policy Computer simulation is an integral component to promote exploratory learning activities., The constructionism framework was mostly helpful for those students with low background knowledge in balancing challenge and skill perceptions., The low-threshold-high-ceiling principle is a particularly important design guideline to engage students of different levels in active learning activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative storytelling experiences in social media: Influence of peer-assistance mechanisms

Collaborative storytelling activities in social media environments are generally developed in a linear way in which all participants collaborate on a shared story as it is passed from one to another in a relay form. Difficulties with this linear approach arise when collecting the contributions of participants in to a coherent story. This study proposes a hypermedia approach to enable students to integrate the episodes of others to develop different branches of stories. Since these linear and nonlinear approaches facilitate students in developing stories in quite a different manner, students perceptions of linear and hypermedia approaches differ in their collaboration mechanisms, which may in turn affect positive inter-dependence and ultimate success in the collaborative storytelling. The results of an empirical study show that the performance of students in the hypermedia group was superior to that of members the linear group insofar as perception of collaborative process, peer support, authorship, and collaborative result where concerned.

Bridging the gap between students and computers: supporting activity awareness for network collaborative learning with GSM network

The internet has been widely used to promote collaborative learning among students. However, students do not always have access to the system, leading to doubt in the interaction among the students, and reducing the effectiveness of collaborative learning, since the web-based collaborative learning environment relies entirely on the availability of computers and the internet. A web-based collaborative learning scheme based on activity awareness carried out through mobile phones is proposed herein. The proposed mechanism automatically sends SMS messages on a GSM network, based on student identity and learning activity, making the student aware of the collaborative learning context, and further improving the students learning. A web-based collaborative learning activity was implemented in a Taiwan undergraduate class to examine the proposed scheme. Experiments demonstrated that awareness of the collaborative learning context through mobile phones significantly increased student participation in learning activity and improving student learning performance.