Computer-supported collaborative learning

Draft

Definition

• "Put briefly, CSCL is focused on how collaborative learning supported by technology can enhance peer interaction and work in groups, and how collaboration and technology facilitate sharing and distributing of knowledge and expertise among community members." (Lipponen, 2002)

Short history

under construction

Research topics

Stahl (2002:2) defines four themes important for thinking about CSCL

a) Collaborative knowledge building
b) Group and personal perspectives
c) Mediation by artifacts
d) Interaction analysis

Hakkarainen & Sintonen (2002) link CSCL research to a model of scientific inquiry:

• "Scardamalia and Bereiter (1994) have argued that there is a close relationship between the process of scientific thinking and learning science as well as between the philosophy of science and science education." (Hakkarainen 2002: 26)

• An analogy between the history of science and the development of scientific thinking in childhood as well as between scientific thinking and children's thinking has been a very important foundation of cognitive research on educational practices. (Hakkarainen 2002: 26)

• Knowledge-seeking inquiry entails that knowledge is not simply assimilated but constructed through solving problems of explanation and understanding. Through intensive collaboration and peer interaction, resources of the whole learning community may be used to facilitate advancement of inquiry. (Hakkarainen 2002: 27)

• It is generally believed that children are not capable of participating in these kinds of advanced scientific processes of inquiry, and, therefore, conventional pedagogical practices are not aimed at encouraging them. However, new computersupported learning environments emerging from cognitive research promise to facilitate participation in these higher- level processes of inquiry in education. (Hakkarainen 2002: 29)

Examples / Projects

• Distributed multimedia learning environments (Pea, 1993).

• Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environments (CSILE) and Knowledge forum Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1991, 1993, 1994).

Digital divide

When discussing CSCL and Educational technology in general, it is important to keep in mind the extreme disparity between different populations around the world when it comes to access to and capacity to receive benefits from computers and internet technologies resulting from various socio-economic and political factors. This disparity is referred to as the digital divide.

• A good overview of the issues involved and criticism of current private sector initiatives [1]
• A private sector initiative [2]

Links

• The International Society of the Learning Sciences is probably the most imporant association with CSCL researchers. It sponsors the International Conferences on CSCL held bi-annually.

• International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning. An Official Publication of the International Society of the Learning Sciences

• EuroCSL a site sponsored by the ITCOLE project

• CSCL: Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning by Lorraine Sherry.

• CSCL - a brief overview & interesting links for further study, a term paper project.

• CSCL General Resources for Novices by Nathan Zhao.

• CSCL Theories by Wana Daphne Lin Hsiao

References

• Dillenbourg, P. (1999). Introduction: What do you mean by "collaborative learning"? In P. Dillenbourg (Ed.), Collaborative Learning: Cognitive and computational approaches (pp. 1-19) Amsterdam: Pergamon, Elsevier Science. http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/publicat/dil-papers-2/Dil.7.1.14.pdf

• Dillenbourg, P., Baker, M., Blaye, A. & O'Malley, C.(1996) The evolution of research on collaborative learning. In E. Spada & P. Reiman (Eds) Learning in Humans and Machine: Towards an interdisciplinary learning science. (Pp. 189-211). Oxford: Elsevier. http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/publicat/dil-papers-2/Dil.7.1.10.pdf

• Haake, J., Schwabe, G. & Wessner, N. (Ed.)(2004). CSCL-Kompendium. Lehr- und Handbuch zum computerunterstützen kooperativen Lernen. München: Oldenbourg.

• Hakkarainen, K. & Sintonen, M. (2002) The Interrogative Model of Inquiry and Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, Science & Education 11: 25.

• Jonassen, D. H., & Reeves, T. C. (1996). Learning with technology: Using computers as cognitive tools. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of research for educational communications and technology (pp. 693-719). New York: Macmillan.

• Lipponen, L. (2002), Exploring foundations for computer-supported collaborative learning, CSCL 2002, http://newmedia.colorado.edu/cscl/31.html

• Pea, Roy, D. Seeing What We Build Together: Distributed Multimedia Learning Environments for Transformative Communications, Journal of the Learning Sciences, 1993-1994, Vol. 3, No. 3, Pages 285-299, (doi:10.1207/s15327809jls0303_4)

• Scardamalia,M. & Bereiter, C. (1991), Higher Levels of Agency for Children in Knowledge Building: A Challenge for the Design of New Knowledge Media, Journal of the Learning Sciences 1991, Vol. 1, No. 1, Pages 37-68 (doi:10.1207/s15327809jls0101_3)

• Scardamalia,M. & Bereiter, C.: 1992, Text-Based and Knowledge-Based Questioning by Children, Cognition and Instruction 9, 177.

• Scardamalia, M. & Bereiter, C.: 1993, Technologies for Knowledge-Building Discourse, Communications of the ACM 36, 37.

• Scardamalia, M. & Bereiter, C.: 1994, Computer Support for Knowledge-building Communities, The Journal of the Learning Sciences 3, 265.

• Stahl G. (2002) "Contributions to a theoretical framework for CSCL" in G. Stahl (Ed.), (2002) Computer support for collaborative learning: foundations for a CSCL community, (Cscl 2002 Proceedings), Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

• Stahl, G. (2003). Building collaborative knowing: Elements of a social theory of learning. In J.-W. Strijbos, P. Kirschner & R. Martens (Eds.), What we know about CSCL in higher education. Amsterdam, NL: Kluwer.