Hermann Körndle

Regulation During Cooperative and Collaborative Learning: A Theory-Based Review of Terms and Concepts

This article reviews the terms and concepts that have been used for describing regulation of learning during cooperative and collaborative learning and suggests differentiating them on the basis of which parts of a regulatory feedback loop model are being shared. During cooperative and collaborative learning, not only self-regulation but also the regulation of the group process is important. This regulation might occur on both an individual level and a social level. Several modes of regulation have been identified, but the terms used for them vary tremendously—including social regulation, socially shared regulation, coregulation, and other-regulation. This article seeks to clarify the diverse terminology. To this end, we use a theoretical framework based on Winne and Hadwins (1998) model of self-regulated learning to analyze how the different terms are used in the literature. We make and exemplify suggestions for a consistent usage of terms.

Informal Learning with Technology: The Effects of Self-Constructing Externalizations

ABSTRACT Especially in the context of technology-enhanced informal learning, it is crucial to understand how to design information sources in such a way that learners are not overwhelmed by the demands of the learning process, but at the same time are engaged in higher order thinking processes. Guidance aids learners in dealing with the demands of a learning process. The authors examined the effects of different levels of guidance provided by an information source. To this end, the effects of a preconstructed externalization are compared to a self-constructed externalization. Thirty-eight students participated in the study. The results revealed no significant differences between the groups with respect to posttest retention. However, performance in application tasks was promoted by the condition associated with a lower level of guidance. This suggests that having learners self-construct an externalization might be a suitable means to elicit learners’ higher order thinking processes in technology-enhanced informal learning.

Study 2000—Problems and Perspectives for the Development of Multimedia Tools for Teaching and Learning on the Internet

In various fields of science, technology, industry, and politics, the importance of modern information and communication techniques has been stressed in connection with the need for maintaining competitiveness in modern society. These rapidly developing information technologies are providing, it would seem, a multitude of new opportunities for study and lifelong learning. Developments in information technology make it possible to go beyond what computer-assisted learning has conventionally been used for. It is, for example, now possible to store resources from seminars or lectures, libraries, and media libraries in digital form and retrieve this information using networked information systems that do not depend on a particular storage place (see Hammond, McKendree, & Scott, 1996; Kieley, 1996; Krantz & Eagley, 1996). This improves the accessibility of learning and study materials considerably. The positive aspect of modern information systems is that they can be accessed at all times and from all places. However, this is not always unproblematic, as the following shows: 1. The quality of sound and graphics in multimedia information systems is often worse than that in video or television transmissions and print media. For this reason, it is not sufficient simply to transmit seminars and the teaching materials used in them without first adapting them for multimedia purposes (Neumann, Stocker, Schill, Irmscher, & Korndle, 1997). Rather, the materials offered online must conform to ergonomic principles and reflect psychological findings on perception and cognition. But the transferral of teaching

Metacognitive Support in University Lectures Provided via Mobile Devices

Even though classical lectures at universities are criticized for lacking interactivity and treating students like passive receptors of information they are still very popular. Due to the big amount of students, interaction between teacher and students is difficult to realize. Several projects address this problem by offering technical solutions which aim at increasing the interactivity during classes or lectures â?? classic clicker-systems as well as solutions in which students use their own smartphones, netbooks or tablet-PCs. Based on research on self-regulated learning (SRL) processes we developed the already existing tools one step further: instead of only providing questions we designed Auditorium Mobile Classroom Service (AMCS) â?? a program which offers several possibilities to interact during a lecture. AMCS supports students to regulate their own learning process during the lecture. Learning questions are one core element to support them. On the basis of the results of the learning questions specific advices and hints are sent to the studentsâ?? smartphones or notebooks. The features increase the interactivity between the content and students and the interaction in the lecture hall. In the present article the program AMCS is described. Furthermore we report first experiences from a field test in a university lecture.

Designing a constructive learning activity with interactive elements: the effects of perspective-shifting and the quality of source material

ABSTRACT When teachers or instructors create computer-based learning environments, they often solely consider technical aspects of interactivity. As a consequence, learners’ main role is to respond to requests of the learning environment (e.g. by answering multiple-choice questions). This aspect of interactivity is, however, not sufficient to understand the complex benefits of interactivity for learners’ knowledge acquisition. In order to create a higher level of interactivity, an instructional task that encourages learners to design learning materials for fellow learners is used in this paper. We will show that this instructional task can induce interactive elements because learners are encouraged to take not only their own perspective into account when designing. In addition, we investigated if the quality of source material affects knowledge acquisition in design tasks. In a two-by-two design, students (n = 108) had to design either a learning environment for others (i.e. to perform perspective-shifting), or a representation of acquired knowledge for themselves (no perspective-shifting) with less or more coherent information sources. Results indicate that performing perspective-shifting can be a powerful technique for eliciting interactive learning behavior and, thus, for learning. The quality of information sources does not influence knowledge acquisition to a great extent.

Accuracy of Self-Evaluation of Competence: How is it Affected Through Feedback in a Computer-Based Arithmetic Training?

This is an investigation of how (a) performance, (b) self-efficacy strength, and (c) self-evaluation bias and accuracy develop. The learning environment is for the training of arithmetic competences using the computer-based training MatheWarp. To compare the effects of different types of feedback, four training sessions with two versions of MatheWarp were provided. The first version consisted of exercises followed by performance feedback (MatheWarpKP). The second version offered effort-attributions as part of the feedback (MatheWarpKP+effort-attribution). Forty eight fifth-graders from two classrooms were assigned to these two training conditions on the basis of their pre-test performance. A third fifth grade class (n=23) served as a control group and received no specific training.. Performance, self-efficacy strength, self-evaluation bias and accuracy were measured before and after the training sessions. Results show a performance enhancement in the training groups, whereas performance did not change in the control group. However, self-efficacy strength decreased in the MatheWarpKP+effort-attribution group and in the control group; it increased in the MatheWarpKP group. Self-evaluation accuracy decreased significantly in the training groups, whereas it remained almost constant in the control group.

On Knowledge Spaces and Item Testing

First, we briefly introduce some of the fundamental notions of knowledge space theory and how they relate to formal concept analysis. Knowledge space theory has a probabilistic extension which allows it to be utilized in order to assess knowledge states by looking at responses to a variety of test items, which are designed to demand performing different sets of cognitive operations. Second, we introduce an easy extension to lambda calculus in order to incorporate extra-logical operations. Further we define a weight function on term reductions, which is to be used as a model to calculate item response probabilities for test items after task analysis. We use the new model in order to review the probabilistic extension of knowledge space theory.

Multiperspective‐Modelling in the Process of Constructing and Understanding Physical Theories Using the Example of the Plane Mirror Image

Teaching physics goes along with explaining natural phenomena. The modelling process during the acquisition of physical knowledge plays an important role in developing understanding and deeper insight. Novices, however, have problems with this modelling process, in particular because they do not understand that teachers are talking about models of reality and not about reality itself. Physical theories are described with linguistic and mathematical symbols; hence there exist at least two perspectives of modelling, physical and mathematical modelling. According to Greca and Moreira (2001) [2] understanding of physics in school is achieved if it is possible to predict a physical phenomenon from its physical models. Yet, apart from the physical and the mathematical perspective of modelling other perspectives of modelling are necessary for understanding complex physical phenomena. To prevent confusion for the learner it is essential to differentiate between these different perspectives of modelling. This proc...

Higher Education Supported by New Technologies at the Technical University of Dresden—Problems and Initiatives

This article summarizes the technical efforts and scientific experience that have been recognized as essential for the introduction of multimedia technologies for innovative teaching and learning at the Technical University of Dresden. Beginning with conventional standards, the most important media types are discussed. Important criteria for the development of multimedia tools are investigated. Finally, the first results of a pilot project of teleteaching are reported. This article emphasizes that new didactic and psychological studies are of the same level of importance for learning success as is technological development. Therefore, the strategy envisaged does not aim at developing the virtual university in its purest form but at the enrichment of the contemporary university by innovative elements that preserve the living contact between teachers and students.

A gestalt theoretic account for the coordination of perception and action in motor learning

Abstract A review of the scanty Gestaltist literature on motor behaviour indicates that a genuine Gestalt theoretic approach to motor behaviour can be characterized by three research questions: (1) What are the natural units of motor behaviour? (2) What characterizes the self‐organization in motor behaviour? (3) What are the conditions for invariance in motor behaviour? Tentative answers to these questions can be found by analysing the parallels between Gestalt theory and Bernsteins theory of motor actions and by showing that Gestalt theory can be regarded as a specific approach to non‐linear dynamics as exemplified by synergetics (Haken, 1991). The congruence between the Gestalt theoretic approach and synergetics becomes apparent in the analysis of how a complex motor task is learned [1].