Jos Jaspers

Visualization of participation: Does it contribute to successful computer-supported collaborative learning?

This study investigated the effects of visualization of participation during computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). It is hypothesized that visualization of participation could contribute to successful CSCL. A CSCL-environment was augmented with the Participation Tool (PT). The PT visualizes how much each group member contributes to his or her groups online communication. Using a posttest-only design with a treatment (N=52) and a control group (N=17), it was examined whether students with access to the PT participated more and more equally during collaboration, reported higher awareness of group processes and activities, collaborated differently, and performed better than students without access to the PT. The results show that students used the PT quite intensively. Furthermore, compared to control group students, treatment group students participated more and engaged more in coordination and regulation of social activities during collaboration by sending more statements that addressed the planning of social activities. However, equality of participation, awareness of group processes and quality of the group products was not higher in the treatment condition. Still, the results of this study demonstrate that visualization of participation can contribute to successful CSCL.

Effects of representational guidance on domain specific reasoning in CSCL

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) aims at enhancing and supporting peer interaction and the joint construction of products through technology. This study investigated the effects of the joint construction of external representations on the collaborative process and the learning outcomes. By providing representational guidance, the study aimed at promoting co-elaborated and domain-specific reasoning. Since it is assumed that the representational format may be of influence on the collaborative process and outcomes, three representational formats, namely an argumentative diagram, an argument list and a matrix, were compared with a control group. Sixty-five student pairs from pre-university education collaborated on a historical writing task in a CSCL environment. The analyses included analyses of interaction processes in the chat, the quality of the co-constructed representation, the quality of the essay and the scores on the individual posttest. The results indicated that each representational format has its own affordances and constraints. For example, Matrix users talked more about historical changes, whereas Diagram users were more focused on the balance in their argumentation. However, this did not result in differences in the quality of historical reasoning in the essay, nor in outcomes on the posttest.

Group awareness of social and cognitive performance in a CSCL environment: Effects of a peer feedback and reflection tool

A peer feedback tool (Radar) and a reflection tool (Reflector) were used to enhance group performance in a computer-supported collaborative learning environment. Radar allows group members to assess themselves and their fellow group members on six traits related to social and cognitive behavior. Reflector stimulates group members to reflect on their past, present and future group functioning, stimulating them to set goals and formulate plans to improve their social and cognitive performance. The underlying assumption was that group performance would be positively influenced by making group members aware of how they, their peers and the whole group perceive their social and cognitive behavior in the group. Participants were 108 fourth-year high school students working in dyads, triads and groups of four on a collaborative writing task, with or without the tools. Results demonstrate that awareness stimulated by the peer feedback and reflection tools enhances group-process satisfaction and social performance of CSCL-groups.

Designing argumentation tools for collaborative learning

The focus of education has shifted towards working actively, constructively and collaboratively, as this is believed to enhance learning. The studies discussed here deals with the influence of different CMC (Computer Mediated Communication) tools on argumentation processes during collaboration. The purpose of our research is to investigate the effect of computer supported environments and its tools on the final product through differences in the participants’ collaboration processes. In this chapter we will concentrate on students collaboratively taking part in argumentation via CMC systems. Computer environments that support collaborative writing can emphasize both the constructivist and collaborative aspects through its active and interactive nature.

Using tools and resources in computer supported collaborative writing

The relationship between collaboration processes, task strategies and the use of the tools and resources that the computer environment offers, may be crucial for the effects of computer supported collaborative learning. We are interested to find out how, within a computer environment, students collaborate, how they use the different tools we offer and how this influences the quality of the final product. A custom-made computer-supported environment (TC3) was implemented that enables pairs of high school students to collaborate in writing an argumentative essay. The essay had to be convincing and based on authentic information sources. TC3, a groupware program, offers the students as task related and communicative tools: a shared text editor, a chat facility, access to relevant sources of information and a private notepad. Furthermore, some facilities or tools were offered that might promote collaboration on the task: access to the chat history, adaptability of the display layout, marking and searching in information sources and counting the number of words in the shared text. From our analyses we may conclude that the tools and resources the students use during collaborative writing seem to reflect the writing strategies they adhere to and that the use of these tools and resources in the different phases of the collaborative writing process is related to the argumentative quality of the final product. Future research will focus on the effects of adding tools for text planning and linearization to the TC3 environment on the coordination processes of collaborative writing.

COSAR: collaborative writing of argumentative texts

In the COSAR project (COmputer Supported ARgumentative writing), we study electronic collaborative text production regarding the relation between characteristics of interaction on the one hand and learning and problem solving on the other. A groupware program has been developed to support collaborative writing. The system consists of a basic environment that can be extended with a combination of tools. The experiments with the basic environment have been completed. The first data of the evaluation forms are presented. The second phase of the project in which tools are added to the basic environment in different combinations is currently in progress. Students are generally enthusiastic about the system. Based on the observations we have made during the experiments, we will adapt the system in order to improve the usability and extend the range of subject areas.

Productive language use with It's English

Abstract Based on the results of a study in 1989, a new Computer-Assisted Instruction program for foreign language teaching of English has been developed. Main features of this program are the communicative approach, a 70,000 word dictionary, sound and a syntactic parser. An evaluation study was carried out to explore the possibilities of this program. Four groups of eight students from two schools using different methods for teaching English used the program for 8 weeks. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the usage of the program, by the students and the learning results. First results indicate that pupils who worked with the more communicative methods for teaching English made greater progress in acquiring vocabulary than those taught more traditionally.