Abstract: This paper reports on a five-year collaborative research programme, the aim of which was to create Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environments that favoured and supported the production of epistemic interactions for the co-construction of scientific notions. Three systems (C-CHENE, CONNECT and DAMOCLES) were developed and experimented with science problem-solving tasks within constraints of the French secondary school curriculum. A number of issues were explored in relation to our research goals, including: structuring the communication interface, statistically or automatically constituting dyads to favour conceptual confrontation, summarising points to be debated, and studying/defining the teacher's multiple roles in CSCL contexts. We discuss limitations of our research and bring out lessons that have been learned from this research programme, concerning notably: freedom and constraint in the communication interface, structuring collaborative problem-solving sequences, richness and negotiability of environments, interrelations between cognitive, epistemic and social dimensions of interaction, and evolution of new educational practices.

Abstract: The KidStory project aims to develop technologies that encourage young children to work collaboratively in the classroom. KidPad, a drawing and zooming tool, has been developed to be used with one, two or more mice to support children's 'shoulder-to-shoulder' collaboration at the computer. The study described in this paper explores how multiple input devices impact on pairs' interactions at the computer and the work they produce together. Preliminary analyses suggest that two mice can aid collaborative behaviour. However there are marked differences in the quality of collaboration dependent on the gender of the children involved.

Abstract: Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis are utilised as resources for analysing distributed collaborative learning. Thematically we are interested in how a group of students manage their task, how they keep a joint focus, and how technology features in their activity. We present and analyse extracts of data from a group collaborating in a groupware system called TeamWave Workplace. We conclude that in collaborative problem solving the interpretation of the task and the problem solving process, is something that is jointly and continuously produced by the participants throughout their interaction. Another finding is concerned with how the participants utilise technology to perform actions. Technology does not determine action in any simple sense, on the contrary, technological tools are closely intertwined with the activities in which the students are engaged.

Abstract: We describe a CSCL scenario through which socio-economic and cultural differences between countries can be exploited for teaching community health to medical students in Switzerland, Tunisia, Cameroon and Lebanon. This scenario is structured around phases and roles. In order to stimulate social interaction, the activities rely on the confrontation of different national health contexts and different health issues. The activities take place in an hybrid face-to-face and web-based learning space, regulated by the teachers. The knowledge base of the environment contains various forms of knowledge such as fact sheets, clinical cases, intervention strategies, web links and a glossary. The course contents have been identified through the DELPHI method allowing the construction of a consensus between health experts of the four countries. The environment interface is articulated around a graphical representation of the scenario. This lightweight web site can be easily consulted by students with low bandwidth.

Abstract: The paper presents an experimental study aimed at investigating the learning effectiveness of concept mapping in a computer supported collaborative problem solving design. The main assumption underlying this research is that shared cognition is a substantial for cognitive construction and reconstruction and that concept mapping is an effective tool for mediating computer supported collaboration. Based on the assumption that the form in which knowledge is shared influence strongly the process of building a shared cognition and hence – the effectiveness of collaborative learning, three scenarios of concept mapping mediated group interaction have been designed – Distributed, Moderated and Shared. These tree scenarios demonstrated differential effect towards different aspects of learning effectiveness both at a group and at an individual level. It is concluded that the mode of sharing and the form of knowledge, which students communicate are more important than the access to the distributed resources itself. The Sharing scenarios showed to be the most appropriate for establishing a supportive learning environment in computer supported collaborative problem solving.

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to find new approaches for evaluating the tutor's contribution to students' knowledge building discourse in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. Most recent studies in CSCL concentrate on students' processes, whereas the teacher's or tutor's role has not been analyzed closely. Guidance, however, is known to be crucial in promoting students' higher-level learning. The study was based on an analysis of database material from one university course using the web-based tool, Future Learning Environment (FLE). First, written messages in FLE's database were analyzed to compare tutors' and students' contributions as participants in inquiry discourse. Second, methods of social network analysis were applied to study interaction structures between tutors and students. Third, tutors' messages were re-analyzed qualitatively to evaluate tutors' guidance techniques. The results indicated that the three approaches revealed new aspects of networked tutoring. Classification of progressive inquiry elements revealed that tutors acted more like metalevel commentators rather than equal participants in the inquiry process. Methods of social network analysis showed tutors' varied roles as initiators of new discussion-openings or commentators of students' messages. Classification of guidance techniques showed differences in the three tutors' guidance patterns and the possible effects of tutors' contribution to students' discourse.

Abstract: We evaluate the use of BSCW shared workspaces in higher education by a comparison of seven courses in which this environment was used. We identified a number of different functions for which the BSCW environment has been used. Effectiveness for the given task appears to be a prime success factor for using ICT. But an effective tool may fail due to other factors like ease of use and organisational, social-cultural or technological obstacles. In some cases BSCW was adequate, but abandoned in favour of more efficient tools for performing the same task. The particular strength of a shared workspace is providing a repository for objects of collaborative work. While other types of usage showed mixed results, it is this core functionality for which BSCW is most effective and quite efficient.

Abstract: Explores students' psychological responses to an introductory Internet course delivered using computer-supported collaborative learning. Data were collected in pre- and post-course surveys and through observation of patterns of participation. Students' self-efficacy for learning and preference for collaborative work increased, while their attitudes toward information technology were less favorable.

Abstract: Roskilde University’s master’s programme in computer-mediated communication combines face-to-face seminars with net seminars focusing on collaborative project work. Net-based learning based on CSCW offers both advantages and pitfalls: (i) it helps to activate all students, (ii) it fosters complexity in organising tasks, (iii) asynchronous environment generates a need for synchronous communication, and (iv) exaggerated structuring limits self-organising and motivation.

Abstract: We review systems that support the management of collaborative interaction, and propose a classification framework built on a simple model of coaching. Our framework distinguishes between mirroring systems, which display basic actions to collaborators, metacognitive tools, which represent the state of interaction via a set of key indicators, and coaching systems, which offer advice based on an interpretation of those indicators. The reviewed systems are further characterized by the type of interaction data they assimilate, the processes they use for deriving higher-level data representations, and the type of feedback they provide to users.

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to analyse the use of ICT tools proposed in a CSCL environment in higher education (Learn-Nett project). The point is to understand the differences between uses anticipated by the designers of the CSCL environment, and the way students effectively used the tools. With the background of Theory Activity and French « instrumental genesis » theory (Rabardel), the paper puts emphasis on the process transforming tools in instruments for action, the choice of tools to be proposed to the students, and the technical training before the real learning tasks, all of this oriented by the learning activity. This article has implications for CSCL environment designers, CSCL teachers and for ICT trainers.