Author: Santi Caballé Llobet
Programme: Doctoral Programme on the Information and Knowledge Society
Language: English
Supervisors: Dr Fatos Xhafa and Dr Atanasi Daradoumis
Faculty / Institute: Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3)
Subjects: Computer Science
Key words: Generic programming, Software reusability, CLPL, Computational model, Learning process evaluation, Group monitoring, Awareness and feedback, Knowledge management, Data interaction analysis, CSCL, Computer-supported collaborative learning, Collaborative learning, Software engineering, Model-driven development, MDA, Service-oriented architectures, SOA, Distributed computing, Grid, Peer-to-peer, P2P
Area of knowledge: Computation Science and Artificial Intelligence, Telematic Engineering, Languages and Systems
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Summary
An important research topic in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is to explore the importance of efficient management of event information generated from a group activity in collaborative learning practices for its further use in extracting and providing knowledge on interaction behaviour.
The essential issue here is first how to design a CSCL platform that can be used for real, long-term, complex collaborative problem solving situations and which enables the instructor to both analyse effectively group interaction and provide adequate support when needed. Secondly, how to extract relevant knowledge from collaboration in order to provide learners with efficient awareness and feedback as regards individual and group performance and assessment. The achievement of these tasks involves the design of a conceptual framework of collaborative learning interaction that structures and classifies the information generated in a collaborative application at several levels of description. Computational models are then to realize this conceptual approach for an efficient management of the knowledge produced by the individual and group activity as well as the possibility of exploiting this knowledge further as a metacognitive tool for real-time coaching and regulating the collaborative learning process.
In addition, CSCL needs have been evolving accordingly over recent years with more and more demanding pedagogical and technological requirements. Online collaborative learning environments no longer depend on homogeneous groups, static content and resources, and single pedagogies, but high customization and flexibility are a must in this context. As a result, current educational organizations' needs involve extending and moving to highly customized learning and teaching forms in a timely fashion, each incorporating its own pedagogical approach, each targeting a specific learning goal, and each incorporating its specific resources.
These entire issues certainly represent a great challenge for current and future research in this field. Therefore, further efforts need to be made that help developers, technologists, and teachers overcome the demanding requirements currently found in the CSCL domain as well as provide modern educational organizations with fast, flexible, and effective solutions for the enhancement and improvement of the collaborative learning performance and outcomes. This thesis proposes a first step toward these goals.