M. Felisa Verdejo

Collaborative environments for the learning of design: a model and a case study in Domotics

Design plays a central role in a range of subjects at different educational levels. Students have to acquire the knowledge necessary for the execution of tasks that enable them to construct an artefact or model that can be tested by simulation and that satisfies some requirements and verifies some constraints. They achieve this by means of a design process. In some design domains there is a lack of teaching tools from a learner-centred perspective. Moreover, when these domains are complex, the design problems that the students have to solve during their learning process require the design activity to be carried out in group. In response to this situation, we have developed a design model and a collaborative learning method. Using this conceptual framework, we have built a collaborative environment for the learning of domotical design by means of complex problem solving, with an emphasis on synchronous collaboration for work distribution, discussion, design in shared surfaces and simulation. This environment has already been evaluated and used in real teaching experiences.

A framework for process-solution analysis in collaborative learning environments

One of the most challenging aspects of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) research is automation of collaboration and interaction analysis in order to understand and improve the learning processes. It is particularly necessary to look in more depth at the joint analysis of the collaborative process and its resulting product. In this article, we present a framework for comprehensive analysis in CSCL synchronous environments supporting a problem-solving approach to learning. This framework is based on an observation-abstraction-intervention analysis life-cycle and consists of a suite of analysis indicators, procedures for calculating indicators and a model of intervention based on indicators. Analysis indicators are used to represent the collaboration and knowledge building process at different levels of abstraction, and to characterize the solution built using models of the application domain, the problems to solve and their solutions. The analysis procedures combine analysis of actions and dialogue with analysis of the solution. In this way, the process and the solution are studied independently as well as together, enabling the detection of correlations between them. In order to exemplify and test the framework, the methodological process underlying the framework was followed to guide the implementation of the analysis subsystems of two existing CSCL environments. In addition, a number of studies have been conducted to evaluate the frameworks approach, demonstrating that certain modes of collaborating and working imply particular types of solutions and vice versa.

Collaborative Discovery Learning of Model Design

Design and simulation environments are tools offering contrasted benefits for discovery learning in multiple domains. However, when these domains are complex the problems that the students have to solve during their learning justify the necessity to carry out the design activity itself in groups. From the perspective of modelling and simulation in collaboration, we present DomoSim-TPC, a system supporting collaborative learning in Domotics. The system provides shared workspaces integrating tools for domain problem solving with generic but customized tools to support collaborative decisions and discussions. The potential of this synthesis to support learning tasks in modelling is described. We outline the mechanisms offered by the system and discuss our solution compared to other relevant systems.

Collaborative distributed environments for learning design tasks by means of modelling and simulation

The Simulation discipline has to face new challenges such as the incorporation of Collaborative Technologies for professional use as well as for teaching purposes. This integration permits the creation of new kinds of support for collaborative learning processes. In this paper, we explore the potential of this synergy with DomoSim-TPC, a synchronous distributed collaborative environment for the teaching and learning of Domotics. The system supports an active, simulation-based and problem-based approach for learning house automation design. Using this learning environment, teachers propose and organize problem solving activities and the students carry out, in a collaborative way, the construction of artefacts (designs) using modelling and simulation tools.

Providing adaptation and guidance for design learning by problem solving: The design planning approach in DomoSim-TPC environment

Experimental learning environments based on simulation usually require monitoring and adaptation to the actions the users carry out. Some systems provide this functionality, but they do so in a way which is static or cannot be applied to problem solving tasks. In response to this problem, we propose a method based on the use of intermediate languages to provide adaptation in design learning scenarios. Although we use some approaches which are familiar from other domains (e.g., programming tutors) they are novel as regards their application to a very different domain and as a result we have incorporated new strategies. The purpose of our proposal is to provide monitoring, guidance and adaptive features for PlanEdit, a tool for the learning of integral automation methods in buildings and housing by design. This tool is part of a collaborative environment, called DomoSim-TPC, which supports distance learning of domotical design. We have carried out an experiment to obtain some data which confirm that our position can be effective for group learning of domotical design, studying the relationship between the quantity of model work carried out and the errors made.

A framework to define web-based communities

Nowadays, web-based communities have become the best way to exploit capabilities of internet interaction. They allow users to keep in touch and thus offer multiple possibilities to coordinate a group of people with a common interest in working or learning about a common subject. Nevertheless, virtual communities, such as those that exist on the internet, are often rigid. In most cases they are designed as ad hoc projects with specific design requirements. But in order to create a virtual community, an accurate previous analysis should be undertaken. This analysis requires the consideration of three complementary aspects: the social structure of the community, the collaborative model specifying the requirements for working together and the behavioural model describing guidelines to achieve adaptiveness. This paper presents a theoretical framework that pays special attention to these aspects. It permits defining web-based communities in a straightforward way. Furthermore, the framework has been implemented as a web design-based tool in order to create declarative specifications that facilitate the integration into other web-based community projects.

Designing a Semantic Portal for Collaborative Learning Communities

This paper presents the design of a semantic portal for collaborative learning communities and describes a persistence mechanism that stores objects enriched with a contextual description. The latter enables the knowledge reutilization in many learning activities and scenarios constituting, as such, a collective memory of the community. The current work is based on two theoretical foundations: the expressive capacity of ontologies, which offers a computer system new possibilities for using the knowledge it contains and the Activity Theory (AT) framework, which permits describing and structuring collaborative learning scenarios.

I-PETER: Modelling Personalised Diagnosis and Material Selection for an Online English Course

In this paper the underlying knowledge model and architecture of I-PETER (Intelligent Personalised English Tutoring EnviRonment) are presented. This system has been designed for the on-line distance learning of English where too many students restrict the teachers possibilities to provide individualised guidance. I-PETER is made up of four domain models that represent linguistic and didactic knowledge: the conceptual framework related to linguistic levels and knowledge stages, and the educational content and study strategies. The student model represents the knowledge that the student has learnt, the study strategies, and his/her profile. A students command of English is evaluated by interpreting his/her performance on specific linguistic units in terms of three related criteria, rather than by a general linguistic competence ranking. Evaluation consists of a diagnostic task model which assesses student performance, taking the form of a Bayesian network, and a selection mechanism that proposes appropriate materials and study strategies.

The Role of Knowledge Based Systems for Automatic Coordination in Distance Learning

In this paper we will focus on one aspect, the organizational model of distance education. Our attempt is on the one hand to improve the interaction between the participants — teachers, tutors and students — and on the other hand to support actively some group tasks in distance learning settings. This is the main motivation, but we aim also at exploring and characterizing the underlying generic tasks involved (either individual or group), the degree of automatic support that can be provided in terms of the knowledge required, and the viability of a conceptual model and its scope. A proposal for coordination modeling based on a knowledge-based approach is presented. This approach is particularly appropriate for a distance learning environment because contents are highly revisable with time, allowing the system to be adapted to the experience and criteria modification of the coordinated group and because explanation is a key feature both in learning and collaboration activities. The long-term goal is to create a framework where cognitive architectures for active group support could be defined.

High Level Design of Web-Based Environments for Distance Education

This paper presents an approach to authoring in a Web-based learning environment with a high level description and reusable instructional components. These components have been previously categorized in a set of knowledge domains according to their instructional, didactic and pedagogical properties. The design of the learning environment is carried out using a description written in an SGML-derived language called PALO. PALO allows describing a variety of instructional scenarios that can be instantiated with a certain content matter using references to the domain model. This description is then turned into a Web-Based scenario by means of a compilation process.