Introduction

For IM214 we were asked to produce a report on a particular learning strategy after having researched it. For my report I have chosen to research Computer Supported Cooperative Learning (CSCL).

 

 

Report

Various theorists from Vygotsky (1978) to current day advocates of situated learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991) have stressed the importance of social interaction to learning. Although computers have traditionally been viewed as tools for use by an individual, the literature devoted to the topic of Computer Support for Cooperative Work (CSCW) is substantial and growing. We use the term "Computer Support for Collaborative Learning" (CSCL) for the more focussed study of the use of collaboration technology in education.

CSCL is the use of computers and technology to assist in the learning process. This does not mean that teachers will be replaced by computers but is the use of computers being complementary to what is learned from the teacher.

CSCL has not caught on as fast as it could have, mainly due to the often expensive cost of equipment and software. These days computers are being seen everywhere from a payphone to the classroom. Prices have dropped significantly and government grants issued to schools means that computers are here to stay.

Nearly every school provides internet access and e-mail facilities to their students to gather information and communicate with the class. It is an essential tool to have to incorporate a CSCL package.

CSCL can allow students to work at their own pace and ability. This is one way in which it differs from a lecturer because the lecturer is teaching at a certain pace and the whole class has to keep up. Students can backtrack and go over concepts which are not as familiar as they once were and gain a better understanding of them.

The learning experience introduced by CSCL is much wider whereby the student can interact with multimedia, which is more interesting than listening to a lecturer for hours on end. It provokes the student into learning. The student is curious and wants to know. Students can get instant feedback from tests and quizzes.

The main disadvantages of CSCL are the cost of initialisation and maintenance, and the incorporation of this technology into the classroom.
The key feature of CSCL is the deliberate use of computers for group learning. This is not the same as individuals in a group using software to complete their own set task. i.e. designing a poster. Instead software mediates between group members and facilitates in group learning processes such as critical discussion, idea generation, or getting brainstorming for a report.

The aim of CSCL is for computers and IT to aid students in facilitating their learning by 'groupware'. Groupware is using technology in aiding group learning and communication.
There are mainly two types of groupware technologies. The first is when users are all working from the same place i.e. presentations. The second is when the users are working in different places i.e. videophone, email. Groupware involves understanding how people behave in groups.
Groupware is important in CSCL as this is what brings in technology for lots of users to interact with. Benefits include faster and clearer communication, bring in different ideas and views and also form groups when it might not otherwise have been possible.
Some drawbacks of groupware include setting up the system can be quite difficult and it has to be widely accepted so many people can take part.

There are many theories that contribute to CSCL. Some of these include Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, constructivism theory, situated cognition, and cognitive flexibility theory. These theories involve social interaction with others and how this can help in group learning.
When working in small groups a lot more interaction goes on and work is split up so you can concentrate on it more. You also come up with ideas which you might not have otherwise. It also encourages teamwork and confidence building skills.

There are also problems when working in groups. One phenomenon identified by social psychologists is called 'social loafing' when individuals work less hard when their efforts are combined. (Warr, 1996). Group members may not want to show their views maybe due to shyness or social issues. There may also be a clash of personalities where domineering personalities take charge.

 

 

Conclusion

The process of learning is different for everyone. Some may prefer interaction at its most using the latest of technologies and others may prefer a more traditional approach to interaction ie student and teacher interaction. Never the less, as technology advances prices of computers drop we see ourselves in a new technological era whereby the learning place is soon to be dominated by the CSCL method of teaching.
In attempting to evaluate a CSCL class, then, we may indeed have to compare apples and oranges. The learning effects may be very different. We may be less able to predict what students in a CSCL class will learn, but what they do learn may have more personal value to them. The teacher may find that running the class requires more work, but she may be doing less homework. In the end, we may not be able to say, conclusively, based on concrete results, that one type of classroom is better than the other. This is because we may have no common way to measure the two types of classes. The kind of test that makes sense for the traditional class may simply not make sense for the other; we maybe encouraging very different kinds of skills, both of which are valuable.
In the end, then, the future of CSCL may be determined simply by teacher preference. This is probably how decisions in education have always been made. The main value of evaluation efforts, then, may be to understand more about what is happening in CSCL classes so that we can continue to improve our CSCL practice.

 

References

CSCL theories

http://www.edb.utexas.edu/csclstudent/Dhsiao/theories.html
http://renoir.vill.edu/faculty/beck/html/csc8570/cscl/cscl.html

Features of CSCL and information about it.
Vygotsky, L.S. Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978.
http://www.edb.utexas.edu/csclstudent/Dhsiao/theories.html#what

Differences between CSCL and CSCW
Weiser, M. The computer for the 21st Century, Scientific American, 265(3), 1991, 94-104.
http://www.qub.ac.uk/mgt/papers/jasis/jasis.html

For details about CSCL
http://www.usabilityfirst.com/groupware/intro.html
All Information about Groupware
Warr, P (1996), Psychology at work, 4th edn, England, Penguin Books