CoSSICLE

Computer-Supported Scripting of Interaction in Collaborative Learning Environments

Pre-conference workshop at the CSCL 2007 (http://isls.org/cscl2007 )

Languages and platforms for CSCL Scripts

Download Description of format and activities planned

Abstract: Learners in unstructured CSCL scenarios often have difficulties to engage in specific collaborative learning activities, such as question asking, elaboration, or constructing sound arguments. An increasing amount of CSCL research therefore deals with the question how scripts can help learners to fully benefit from CSCL environments. The objective of the workshop is to study the questions related to the implementation of CSCL scripts, from their modeling to their effective deployment on a given platform.

Implementing Scripts in CSCL Platforms

Scripts are sequences of roles and activities provided to learners to facilitate specific learning processes. There is empirical evidence that scripts can foster CSCL beyond individual computer-supported learning and that – depending on their design and goals – scripts can facilitate specific activities and outcomes of collaborative learning. CSCL scripts are implemented in and typically hard-wired to specific platforms. Different actors (students, teachers) loosely follow script guidelines to achieve their tasks, such as implementing collaborative phases into classroom education (teacher) or solving a complex learning task (students).

Transferring Scripts between Platforms

Hard-wired scripts are difficult to transfer to different contexts and platforms. One approach to make scripts transferable between different platforms is formalization, i.e. describing scripts in a machine-readable language. Thus, scripts can be run in general-purpose platforms, such as LMS, providing generic communication tools or data exchange facilities. In such a case, script and platform are connected only via a standard interface (i.e. the script definition language, which must be interpreted by the platform).
The objective of the workshop is to question the interest and explore the means for interconnecting the script and the platform, i.e., presenting students and teachers with platforms that are tailored according to (based on, customized for) the script structure. The objective of the workshop is to study the questions related to the implementation of CSCL scripts, from their modeling to their effective deployment on a given platform:

-   How does tailoring the platform according to a script influence processes and outcomes of CSCL (guiding the learner; proposing integrated tools; adapting to the actual performance; etc.)?
-   How does tailoring the platform according to a script support teachers in realizing CSCL (perceiving or supervising the setting; adapting the setting; etc.)?
-   How can scripts’ flexibility issues be handled in run-time?

Workshop Organization

The workshop features contributions that focus on the theoretical background and empirical findings on CSCL scripts to first set the stage for participants of different backgrounds (educational practitioners and researchers of educational science, educational psychology or computer science). Second, analyses of given languages or platforms for CSCL scripts will be discussed. Third, participants will create scripts that they will be able to use in their own settings with different types of languages and platforms.

Intended audience

The workshop is intended for educational practitioners of all domains and researchers of educational science, educational psychology and computer science interested in modelling languages and operationalization platforms that create and implement CSCL scripts. There is opportunity for participants who have developed modeling languages and/or operationalization platforms to present their approach and make their tools available for hands-on activities during the workshop.

Organizers' names and backgrounds

Dr. Armin Weinberger: Research fellow and lecturer at the Chair of Education and Educational Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Munich, and Leader of the EU-funded European Research Team CoSSICLE (Computer-Supported Scripting of Interaction in Collaborative Learning Environments).

Prof. Miky Ronen: Head of the Instructional Systems Technologies Department at the Holon Institute of Technology and a fellow at the Technologies in Education graduate program at the Haifa University. Leading an R&D group on CSCL.

Prof. Pierre Tchounikine: Head of the computer science laboratory of the Le Mans University (France), involved in the CSCL activities of the European Kaleidoscope network of excellence, advisor of different PhDs related to CSCL.

Dr. Andreas Harrer: Scientific assistant and lecturer at the Collide research group, Department of Computer Science and Applied Cognitive Science, University of Duisburg-Essen, steering group member of the European Research Team CoSSICLE, working there on computational formalization of CSCL scripts with the perspective on executing the scripts automatically.

Prof. Pierre Dillenbourg at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland has conducted research on CSCL scripts for several years. He is the editor of the Springer CSCL Book Series.

Prof. Jörg Haake: Chair for Cooperative Systems at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of the FernUniversitaet in Hagen, Germany, is leading the continued development of FernUni’s open source collaborative learning platform CURE. His current research is on design, implementation and use of CSCL scripts in distance teaching situations.

Dr. Yael Kali: Senior Lecturer at the Technion, specializing in educational technology and design principles for web-based learning. As a co-PI at the NSF-funded TELS (Technology Enhanced Learning in Science), Kali and her group at the Technion developed the Design Principles Database (http://design-principles.org) to coalesce design knowledge from leading educational technology research groups.

Prof. Frank Fischer of Education and Educational Psychology at the University of Munich, Germany was formerly professor of Research on Learning and Instruction at the University of Tübingen and head of the research unit "Collaboration Knowledge Construction" at the Knowledge Media Research Center in Tübingen.

Dan Kohen-Vacs: Lecturer and staff member of the Instructional System Technologies department at the Holon Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. student at the Technion. The Development manager of the the CeLS project.