Computer-supported argumentation

Draft

Definition

Computer-supported argumentation

• Argumentation is not only discourse for persuasion, logical proof, and evidence-based belief, but more generally, discussion in which disagreements and reasoning are presented. (Kischner, preface) [1]

• Computer-supported argumentation systems can be used in various areas such as decision support or education, i.e. they can be classified either as CSCW or CSCL tools.

See also the writing-to-learn and writing tool topics.

Variants

• Computer-supported collaborative argumention
• Computer-supported argumentation visualization
• Argument writing tools

Why ?

• “The age of mind refers to the shift in focus from the production and availability of information and its associated technology, to concerns about how people utilize that information, the barriers and challenges they face in accessing and interacting with information, what they do with information, and how it enables them to get on with their lives.” (Kischner, preface)

• Writing an argumentative text is a difficult task. Previous studies which investigated the argumentative skills of secondary schools students ascribe the difficulties to lack of specific education, which would help students to disentangle the complexity of argumentation.

Tools

DREW - “DREW aims to support collaborative reflection and debate between students across the Internet. Available in six languages: English, French, Dutch, Portuguese, Finnish, Hungarian.” Araucaria - “Araucaria is a software tool for analysing arguments. It aids a user in reconstructing and diagramming an argument using a simple point-and-click interface. The software also supports argumentation schemes, and provides a user-customisable set of schemes with which to analyse arguments.” Belvedere - “designed to help support problem-based collaborative learning scenarios with concept and evidence models, and provides multiple representational views (tables and graphs) on those models. Belvedere was originally intended to help secondary school students learn critical inquiry skills that they can apply in everyday life as well as in science, but can be adopted to other applications as well.”

References

• Paul A. Kirschner, Simon J. Buckingham Shum and Chad S. Carr (Eds.). (2003). Visualizing Argumentation: Software Tools for Collaborative and Educational Sense-Making, Springer-Verlag: London, ISBN 1-85233-6641-1. Information web stite (HTML)

• Yang, J. T. D. (2003). Book review: Visualizing Argumentation - Software Tools for Collaborative and Educational Sense-Making (Editors: P. Kirschner, S. Buckingham-Shum, and C. Carr). Educational Technology & Society , 6(3), 86-88, Available at HTML

• Nikos Karacapilidis & Dimitris Papadias, Computer Supported Argumentation And Collaborative Decision Making: The Hermes System PDF. This free paper is also useful for a literature review.

• Evi Chryssafidou, DIALECTIC: Enhancing essay writing skills with computersupported formulation of argumentation. PDF