The need for a paradigm shift in CSCL tools

Abstract

The major focus of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) in the last decade was to enhance collaboration between learners and teachers and among learners. In this regard, several tools have been introduced, both commercial and in academia. For a CSCL tool to be able to support collaborative learning tasks effectively, several factors should be taken into consideration. This makes the process of designing an effective CSCL tool a challenging one. Among the factors that should be effectively tracked and modeled is the distributed cognition (DCog). DCog represents how collaborators interact with each other, and with their environment. It is of great importance in shaping the product of the learning process, which is collaborative knowledge. Knowledge itself is also a time-varying output, which should be affected by and, at the same time, affecting the DCog. This complicated relationship between the two phenomena adds more challenges to the process of designing an effective CSCL tool.