International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Here, we present comparative case studies of two young adolescents engaged in electronic dialogs on a social issue with a sequence of partners. We trace how an individual coordinates existing ideas with new input the interaction provides. Tracing the evolution of an individual’s ideas entails close examination of the process by means of which it occurs. The skills the individual brings to the interaction shape this evolution, as well as undergo development themselves as a consequence of practice. The two case studies revealed strikingly different patterns, and their comparison provides insights into the processes involved. Their description encompasses not simply the knowledge but also the argument skills the individual brings to the activity and, underlying them, understandings of the purposes and objectives of argumentation. Metacognitive talk about their thinking may be key in conferring the benefit the dialogic activity provides; it aides in dissociating a belief from the holder of the belief, thereby promoting claims being situated in argumentative relation to one another. Text-only communication proved a beneficial condition for this to occur.

Disagreement is often perceived negatively, yet it can be beneficial for learning and scientific inquiry. However, students tend to avoid engaging in disagreement. Peer critique activities offer a promising way to encourage students to embrace disagreement, which supports learning as students articulate their ideas, making them available for discussion, revision, and refinement. This study aims to better understand how students express disagreement during peer critique within small groups and how that affects moving their inquiry forward. It explores 5th-grade students’ management of disagreement within a computer-supported collaborative modeling environment. Using conversation analysis, we identified various forms of disagreements employed by students when engaging with different audiences. We observed a tendency for students to disagree softly; that is, disagreement was implied and/or mitigated. Students’ resolution of both direct and soft disagreements effectively promoted their collective knowledge advancement, including building shared scientific understanding and improving their models, while maintaining a positive socio-emotional climate. These findings have implications for designing CSCL environments with respect to supporting students in providing and responding to peer critiques at the group level.

In this paper, and as a tribute to our friend and collaborator Barbara White, we explore how Generative AI (GenAI) technology can create stimulating new learning environments that support complex sense-making activities. We present a case study of expert use of a chat-based generative AI tool to examine the feasibility of using human–computer collaborative interactions to support metacognition and sociometacognition, i.e., knowledge about, awareness of, and ability to regulate individual (meta) and collective (sociometa) cognition. Our questions are: (RQ1) Is it possible for human–GenAI collaborative interactions to support metacognition, and (RQ2) Is it possible for them to support sociometacognition, i.e., knowledge about, awareness of, and ability to regulate individual (meta) and collective (sociometa) cognition. Our initial findings, though limited by the exploratory, case-based methods used, indicate the promise of GenAI as a valuable social interaction and cultural simulation tool for learners to practice collective sensemaking skills. Although the limitations of chat-based GenAI technologies, including their tendency to provide definitive answers unsupported by evidence, are worth mentioning, our findings contribute to the ongoing conversations around how to develop technologies to support learners’ argumentation practices. Accordingly, this study has important implications for future research and practice on using chat-based GenAI as a partner for students to practice the knowledge and skills connected to argumentation and scientific claims, especially in larger courses or broader audiences.

While there are many documented approaches to using technological tools to support collaboration in remote environments, studies related to proof-based courses are overwhelmingly situated in the context of geometry. This study uses instrumental genesis theory to study how students in an introduction to proofs course operationalize the technological tools, namely Google Docs and Zoom, available to them to engage in collaborative proof activity during small group work. Results from our analysis found that students coordinate uses of different tools to develop instruments that can be used to (1) engage in collective argumentation by coordinating visual mediators and verbal communication and (2) co-construct a group solution by refining shared text. In particular, Google Docs was found to be a versatile and rich tool that supported the students’ collaborative activity and encouraged a more active approach to proof-related writing. We discuss implications of the students’ tool use on their collective mathematical proof activity.

Teaching with virtual worlds provides new means for collaborative learning but creates challenges for teachers in terms of IT skills. To address these challenges, we developed a teaching model for using virtual worlds in classroom practices and applied it to Minecraft in several rounds of design-based research experiments. Our conceptual framework combines ideas from software engineering (sociotechnical congruence) and social sciences (intersubjectivity and emergence). Empirically, we addressed the problem of how shared understanding evolves in computer-mediated learning activities. We video-recorded classroom activities and analyzed them using interaction analysis. The teaching model engaged the students in two interdependent processes, referred to as objects: (1) a social object (discussions) that led to a shared knowledge object (video-recorded role-play) and (2) a technology object (Minecraft buildings) for staging the role-play. Our findings include an empirical phenomenon that we call emergent group understanding, which arose from the complex social interactions between social and technology objects when Minecraft was used as a virtual world in a social studies classroom. This revealed two connected subprocesses: (1) a spontaneous act of providing information to assist learners in contextualizing their actions and interactions against a common background, and (2) setting localized goals to guide future actions and interactions. This finding extends previous research by identifying fine-grained processes of intersubjectivity that contribute to collaborative learning. More generally, our teaching model addresses the problem of balancing creative and instructional learning goals.

Collaborative learning in high-fidelity simulators is an important part of how master mariner students are preparing for their future career at sea by becoming part of a ship’s bridge team. This study aims to inform the design of multimodal learning analytics to be used for providing automated feedback to master mariner students engaged in collaborative learning activities in high-fidelity navigation simulators. Through a design ethnographic approach, we analyze video records of everyday training practices at a simulator center in Scandinavia, exploring (a) how feedback is delivered to students during collaborative activities in full-mission simulators and (b) which sensors are needed and why they are needed for capturing the multimodal nature of professional performance, communication, and collaboration in simulation-based collaborative learning. Our detailed analysis of two episodes from the data corpus shows how the delivery of feedback during simulations consists of recurring, multidimensional, and multimodal feedback cycles, comprising instructors’ close monitoring of student’s actions to continuously assess the fit between the learning objectives and the ongoing task. Through these embedded assessments, feedback that draws on the rich semiotic resources of the simulated environment, while considering aspects of realism and authenticity, is provided. Considering the multidimensional and multimodal nature of feedback in professional learning contexts, we identify technologies and sensors needed for capturing professional performance in simulated environments.