Raija Hämäläinen

Specifying computer-supported collaboration scripts

Collaboration scripts facilitate social and cognitive processes of collaborative learning by shaping the way learners interact with each other. Computer-supported collaboration scripts generally suffer from the problem of being restrained to a specific learning platform. A standardization of collaboration scripts first requires a specification of collaboration scripts that integrates multiple perspectives from computer science, education and psychology. So far, only few and limited attempts at such specifications have been made. This paper aims to consolidate and expand these approaches in light of recent findings and to propose a generic framework for the specification of collaboration scripts. The framework enables a description of collaboration scripts using a small number of components (participants, activities, roles, resources and groups) and mechanisms (task distribution, group formation and sequencing).

Designing and analyzing collaboration in a scripted game for vocational education

This study attempts to combine the technological possibilities of 3D-game environments and collaborative learning scripts. The study is a design experiment (N=64) with multiple data collection and analysis (quantitative and qualitative) methods. The aims were twofold: The aim was to develop a game environment to simulate issues of work safety in a vocational context and to answer the following questions on the basis of an empirical study: (1) What kind of activities did the scripted game environment generate among the players? (2) How did the least and the most successful groups differ in this respect despite the same scripted game environment? Findings indicated that scripted game environment enriched the learning activities by enabling aspects that would not have been possible in traditional classroom settings. The scripted game environment also helped the players proceed in the different phases. However, the groups differed in terms of results in the test, collaboration processes, and the type and quantity of discussion. Especially discussion differed between the groups with highest and lowest test scores.

TEL@work: Toward integration of theory and practice

This paper examines technology-enhanced learning at work in the context of the integrative pedagogy model. The basic idea behind this model is to create learning environments whereby the four basic elements of professional expertise (ie, theoretical, practical, self-regulative and sociocultural knowledge) can be integrated. The paper illustrates two basic ways of applying the model in technology-enhanced learning at work. First, examples of how to make use of existing technologies, especially social media, to empower learning at work is presented, and second, an instance of the way the model is used in the design of specific technologies for enhancing collaborative learning in the work context is described. The paper concludes that the integrative pedagogy model has the potential to serve both as a principle for designing technologies and for applying existing technologies for workplace learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a game environment to foster collaborative learning: a design‐based study

Designing collaborative three‐dimensional learning games for vocational learning may be one way to respond to the needs of working life. The theoretical vantage points of collaborative learning for game development and the ‘design‐based research’ methodology are described; these have been used to support collaborative learning in the vocational context. The aim of the empirical study is to determine, firstly, what kinds of design elements were essential from the point of view of the collaboration, and secondly, what kinds of discussions students engage in during the game. In this study, three essential features of design elements stood out. Firstly, the scripted tasks have to require true collaboration. Secondly, curricular‐specific learning tasks are essential. And, finally, it is beneficial if the game design addresses aspects of vocational work in a manner that would not be possible in traditional classroom settings. Furthermore, this study indicates that groups engaged in shared collaboration in which students actively provided information and asked questions.

Vocational education approach: New TEL settings—new prospects for teachers’ instructional activities?

This study focuses on vocational education teachers’ instructional activities in a new technology-enhanced learning (TEL) setting. A content analysis is applied to investigate teachers’ and students’ interactions in a 3D game context. The findings illustrate that when teachers’ and students’ interactions are mediated by a game, teachers seem to apply different discussion activities to empower vocational learning than they do in traditional classroom settings. Additionally, the present study shows that teachers spontaneously develop new ways of supporting vocational learning processes. In more detail, two main types of instructional activities were identified: a “knowledge-providing” approach and a “joint problem-solving” approach. Additionally, findings illustrate how teachers using different types of instructional approaches are followed up with different processes by students. The article is concluded with a general discussion of the emerging challenges regarding the technological and pedagogical development of vocational education and teachers’ instructional activities in new TEL settings based on a more long-term design-based research project (ongoing since 2004).

Collaborative 3D learning games for future learning: teachers’ instructional practices to enhance shared knowledge construction among students

Collaborative games will enable new kinds of possibilities for learning. In the future, the goal of game-based learning should be to introduce new ideas and deepen learners’ in-depth understanding. However, studies have shown that shared high-level knowledge construction is a challenging process. Moreover, thus far, few empirical studies have examined what constitutes the teacher’s role in games. The focus of this paper is to investigate teachers’ real-time instructional activities in a scripted 3D game setting. The authors’ hypothesis is that groups with real-time teacher instruction will come up with more shared knowledge construction that can be considered productive than groups studying without real-time teacher instruction. Thus, content analysis was conducted to compare collaboration processes between different learning conditions. This study indicates that the teacher has a special role in empowering collaborative knowledge construction in the 3D game context in vocational education. The authors’ findings show that the teacher’s participation in collaborative work helps groups to develop productive ways of providing knowledge and asking contextual questions. In addition, they illustrate the teacher’s ability to involve students in formulating hypotheses, interpreting context, providing explanations and describing observations.

Game Mechanics in the Design of a Collaborative 3D Serious Game

Background This article investigates the potential of utilizing game mechanics in designing 3D serious games for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and attempt to produce new information about designing collaborative serious games. Aim This article has two aims: First, to clarify how theoretical knowledge of collaborative learning was related to game design in previous studies; and, second, to design a collaborative serious game based on theoretical knowledge of collaborative learning and game design. Results The reviewed studies revealed the potential of using collaborative games in education. However, they showed that collaborative learning games were typically designed only from pedagogical perspective. Thus, integrating educational theory and game design perspectives was rare. Therefore, we argue that collaborative serious games do not necessarily take full advantage of their potential. Conclusion The main contribution of this article is to present seven ways to utilize game mechanics in order to create favorable conditions for collaborative learning and to structure players’ actions to boost social interaction and collaborative activities. This article concludes with an example of taking advantage of game mechanics in the design of a collaborative serious game. This article also uses event-charts to demonstrate the practical implementation of game mechanics in three multiplayer puzzles.

Methodological reflections: designing and understanding computer-supported collaborative learning

Learning involves more than just a small group of participants, which makes designing and managing collaborative learning processes in higher education a challenging task. As a result, emerging concerns in current research have pointed increasingly to teacher orchestrated learning processes in naturalistic learning settings. In line with this trend, collaboration scripts for instructional support have been presented as a potential trigger for collaboration. This article presents a qualitative methodology designed to understand collaboration in macro-scripted conditions. The study aimed to highlight the differences and similarities in how the ‘ideal’ script (the particular learning activities that the script is expected to produce) and the ‘actual, realized’ script (i.e. what really happens in the scripted learning setting) were reached by different groups. In practice, this kind of an analytic method will help teachers to support the knowledge construction of different groups.

Collaborative Systems and Environments for Future Working Life: Towards the Integration of Workers, Systems and Manufacturing Environments

While the industrial sector in Europe was previously strongly based on mass production technology, it is now moving towards highly customised products and thus to lot-size-one production. The change in production paradigm is strengthened by the emerging technologies. In small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), this means, for example, the increased use of modern digital manufacturing tools, new additive manufacturing processes and novel engineering intelligence solutions. As a direct result, workers need to develop new skills and competences to effective work. From an educational perspective, it is especially critical that people with few prior successful experiences with fully applying the key information-processing skills need to obtain adequate comprehension to guide them in structural changes in their future working lives. In this chapter, we will discuss the critical points of adults’ skills based on the PIAAC large-scale assessment results and illustrate novel educational approaches to meet the emerging needs on the digitalisation of work. Based on these critical points, we will illuminate two learning approaches that can guide educational efforts in designing ‘future’ learning at manufacturing sector. Our first approach is a pedagogical evidence-based physical and virtual learning environment that is based on learning in a reality-conform production environment. In our second approach, we will illustrate a simulation-based learning environment that is designed to increase the understanding of complex machine systems.

Collaborative business planning in initial vocational education and training

There is a growing demand to enhance entrepreneurship. This study aims at producing knowledge that can assist teachers in designing and supporting collaborative learning of entrepreneurship in vocational education. A qualitative case study approach was adopted. The outcome of this study provides a better understanding of the factors that hinder and enable collaboration, as related to entrepreneurship education in initial vocational education and training. In practice, nine dimensions of descriptive factors that hindered the exercise and nine distinct descriptive factors that acted as enablers were identified. This study suggests that, although the script of the learning task creates the setting for collaborative learning, the positive style of working together seals the successfulness of the exercise. Moreover, designing the complexity of the computer-supported collaborative learning task seems to be a challenging process that balances between being simple enough and yet offering sufficient complexity. Finally, the findings illuminate the teacher’s support as a valuable part of the collaborative learning process.