Computer-supported Collaborative Learning Research Articles

A Systematic Literature Review on ICT Integration: Opportunities and Challenges in Teaching Mathematics

Integrating information and communication technology in modern education is very instrumental in changing the way mathematics is taught and learned. Research in the Philippines explores how ICT is integrated into the country's teaching of math, outlining opportunities and challenges for Filipino teachers and students. This study used a systematic literature review with the aid of the PRISMA framework. A total of 22,800 scholarly articles in Google Scholar was reduced to 994 after title and keyword screening. After the final analysis, 12 articles met all criteria. Literature review shows that integrating ICT into math education offers an incredible number of benefits such as increased student engagement, new pedagogies, improved classroom management, flexibility in learning and teaching, and enhanced assessment. ICT improves contact between teachers and students as it creates possibilities for computer-supported collaborative learning using tools such as virtual manipulatives and simulations to deepen understanding of skills referred to as higher-order thinking. Several challenges still exist despite the benefits. Most schools lack proper ICT infrastructure: reliable internet and enough devices. The budget makes it hard to acquire equipment or relevant software needed for such instruction. Some teachers are not confident and need training in using ICT, and technical support is not adequate. These will only lead to uneven use of ICT in classrooms, hence limiting the possible impact on mathematics teaching. Infrastructural improvements, funds, and training of teachers, when coupled with technical support, might propel more efficient integration of ICT in math instructions within Philippine education. These will build vibrant learning environments that pave the way for learners toward success in a world increasingly dominated by digital technology.

Problem or project-based computer-supported collaborative learning practices in computer education: A systematic review of SSCI articles published from 2014 to 2023

Problem or project-based computer-supported collaborative learning practices in computer education: A systematic review of SSCI articles published from 2014 to 2023

Empowering Student Transition and Engaging Students Using Actionbound: A Gamified Collaborative Community Learning Platform

Transition to University is a significant milestone for students who are embracing new experiences and challenges. It is particularly vital for international students who have to adapt to a new and different learning environment in the UK. Successful transition and sense of belonging in a new institution lay foundation for students’ academic success. However, transition is a process rather than an event. Accordingly, fostering a collaborative community learning environment and facilitate peer networks and community support becomes critical. It enables social interactions and active learning by engaging students in collaborative group activities, which would in turn support students’ transition to and belonging in a new learning environment. With the advancement of technology, computer-assisted and computer-supported collaborative learning flourished in 21st century. The emergence of mobile digital technology leads to the design of gamification in learning, known as game-based learning or gamified collaborative community learning in order to engage students in fun and interactive activities. ‘Actionbound’ is one of the versatile gamification platforms and mobile apps which can engage students in collaborative community learning with gamified activities. It enables users to create, share and participate in interactive scavenger hunts, tours, games and quizzes. It allows users to design custom challenges, incorporate multimedia content and track players’ progress in real-time. It engages participants to work collaboratively to solve challenges and complete tasks. At UHBS, we have used Actionbound to support the student transition into the University’ learning journey at the start of term. We used scavenger hunt game and quiz functions within Actionbound to direct students to collaborate in teams to solve the challenges and tasks. In this action research, students found Actionbound fun and loved the competitive nature with points and leaderboards. It helped them build network and form friendship. Together, they solved puzzles and tackled challenges which supported their transition and got them prepared for learning in a new environment. Moving forward, as an ongoing action research, we would like to extend the use of Actionbound to term time and in module delivery so to track students’ engagement with the collaborative learning platform and investigate the impact on their academic performance.

Studying the Flow Experience in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is recognized as an effective methodology for fostering social interaction mediated by technology in ways that potentially trigger learning. The successful implementation of CSCL hinges on factors such as the scripting mechanics for activity sequencing proposed by Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns (CLFP). Yet, research in CSCL scripts has not studied if CLFPs achieves the so-called notion of “flow experience,” defined as an optimal state in which individuals are engaged and absorbed in an activity. This study proposes an approach to measure flow in the case of the Pyramid CLFP and studies the factors that influence the flow experience in the PyramidApp tool. The study tests a model that uses analysis of the Flow Short Scale and data logs. The findings show that there is a relationship between factors such as the speed of individual contributions and active participation in groups with the flow experience. Notably, the quantity of participation does not exhibit a discernible impact on the flow. The study emphasizes the interest of the modelled factors and the proposed approach for learning analytics to understand the flow experience in CLFP implementations.

Using multilayer network analysis to detect the collaborative knowledge construction characteristics among learner groups with low, medium, and high levels of cognitive engagement

Collaborative knowledge construction (CKC) is advanced by group members' cognitive engagement across three levels: individual-level knowledge processing and proposing, the peer-level social interactions and knowledge exchanges between two group members, and the group-level coordination and construction of knowledge across multiple group members. The interconnected and transformative relationship among three levels is an essential factor during the CKC process. Individual viewpoints can trigger peer feedback, which can be further refined by other group members; the group-level consensus can provide foundations for subsequent individual- or peer-level cognitive engagement. The group-level coordination of knowledge advancement involves the processing, synthesis, and reflection of knowledge from multiple members to reach a group consensus. However, previous analytical approaches have faced challenges in modeling distinct types of interconnections across the individual, peer, and group levels during the CKC process. To address this gap, this research employed multilayer network analysis (MNA) to model and quantify the multi-level and interconnected characteristics of CKC in a series of face-to-face, computer-supported CKC activities in China's higher education. First, small groups were categorized into the high, medium, and low levels of cognitive engagement groups. Second, multilayer networks were constructed for each category, where students' use of cognitive strategies were set as nodes, the interconnections between cognitive strategies were set as edges, and three levels (i.e., individual, peer, and group levels) were set as layers. The node-, layer-, and network-level metrics were calculated to quantify the overall characteristics of the networks, the interconnected characteristics within a level and across the three levels. The MNA results revealed that, compared to lower level of cognitive engagement groups, groups with higher cognitive engagement demonstrated (1) more influential moderate and deep cognitive strategies at group and peer levels; (2) interconnections between cognitive strategies with higher diversity, connectivity, and more balanced distribution across three levels, but relatively lower information exchanging efficiency; and (3) communities with more interconnections related to the moderate and deep cognitive strategies at peer and group levels. Based on the empirical findings, this research proposed pedagogical implications for CKC practices and analytical implications for using MNA to improve the understanding of computer-supported collaborative learning mechanisms.

Exploring the nature of peer feedback: An epistemic network analysis approach

AbstractBackground StudyPeer feedback has been used as an effective instructional strategy to enhance students' learning in higher education.ObjectivesThis paper reports on the findings of an explorative study that aimed to increase our understanding of the nature and role of peer feedback in the students' learning process in a computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) setting. Exploring what types of feedback are used, and how they relate to each other and are related to academic performance has important implications for students and teachers.MethodsThis study was conducted in the higher education setting. It used a dataset consisting of student peer feedback messages (N = 2444) and grades from 231 students who participated in a large engineering course. Using qualitative methods, peer feedback was coded inductively. Epistemic network analysis (ENA) was used to analyse the relation between peer feedback types and performance.ResultsBased on the five types of peer feedback (i.e., ‘management’, ‘cognition’ ‘affect’, ‘interpersonal factors’ and ‘suggestions for improvements’), the results of the ENA showed that student feedback categories ‘management’, ‘cognition’ and ‘affect’ were positively related to student performance at the formative assessment phase.ConclusionsThe findings and the ENA visualizations also show that ‘suggestions for improvement’ and ‘interpersonal factors’ were not a significant part of student learning in peer assessment and feedback in the studied context.

Exploring the Effects of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning on Language Boredom and Achievement in EFL Writing Class

Exploring the Effects of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning on Language Boredom and Achievement in EFL Writing Class

The impacts of computer-supported collaborative learning on students’ critical thinking: a meta-analysis

The impacts of computer-supported collaborative learning on students’ critical thinking: a meta-analysis

Knowledge creation through maker practices and the role of teacher and peer support in collaborative invention projects

This study analyzed collaborative invention projects by teams of lower-secondary (13–14-year-old) Finnish students. In invention projects, student teams design and make materially embodied collaborative inventions using traditional and digital fabrication technologies. This investigation focused on the student teams’ knowledge creation processes by examining how they applied maker practices (i.e., design process, computer engineering, product design, and science practices) in their co-invention projects and the effects of teacher and peer support. In our investigations, we relied on video data and on-site observations, utilizing and further developing visual data analysis methods. Our findings assist in expanding the scope of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) research toward sociomaterially mediated knowledge creation, revealing the open-ended, nonlinear, and self-organized flow of the co-invention projects that take place around digital devices. Our findings demonstrate the practice-based, knowledge-creating nature of these processes, where computer engineering, product design, and science are deeply entangled with design practices. Furthermore, embodied design practices of sketching, practical experimenting, and working with concrete materials were found to be of the essence to inspire and deepen knowledge creation and advancement of epistemic objects. Our findings also reveal how teachers and peer tutor students can support knowledge creation through co-invention.

Every Lesson Needs a Gandalf: How Interactive Storytelling can Enhance the Collaborative Learning Experience!

Every teacher aspires to create the ideal lesson! You want to convey the knowledge and skills in the best possible way while also keeping learners motivated. In our design case, we focus on the complex skill of collaborative problem-solving (CPS). In today’s complex world, the acquisition of CPS competencies is considered an important learning goal in education. However, there is limited knowledge on how to teach and assess CPS competencies. In addition to tackling these challenges, we search for new ways of interactive storytelling to implement in the learning materials. Our main design challenge was how to design a learning experience that encourages CPS. To address these challenges, we started in 2020 the project titled Supporting TEamwork in AMbient learning Spaces (STEAMS). In this project, we designed the EDUbox Teamwork, a four-hour learning activity for children between the ages of 10 to 14. In this paper, we describe the iterative process of designing the materials to learn about CPS (i.e., CPS as a learning goal) by doing CPS (i.e., CPS as a method), enhanced by interactive storytelling, for which the design-based research approach was used. The design team consisted of a diverse group of educational researchers, computer scientists, instructional graphical designers, digital storytellers, and teachers. Given the strong collaboration between a research group specialized in computer-supported collaborative learning and specialists in digital storytelling, our design case incorporated insights from both parties. The learning activity was piloted both in in-vivo and in-vitro contexts in collaboration with at least 400 students.

Combining Danmaku and Discussion Boards: Toward A Scalable and Sociable Environment for Mass Collaboration in MOOCs

In online learning at scale, wherein instructional videos play a central role, interactive tools are often integrated to counteract passive consumption. For example, the forum or discussion board is widely used, and an emerging functionality, danmaku, which enables messages to be synchronized with video playback, has also been utilized recently. To explore how mass participation is accommodated and what categories of interaction learners implement, this study utilizes analysis of interaction and manual content analysis through learner-generated text data from two specific tools employed in a massive open online course (MOOC) setting: the discussion board (N = 739) and danmaku (N = 2435). Results of the analysis of interaction indicate that mass participation is managed differently by the tools: danmaku fosters a collective space for massive participants, while the discussion board organizes them into threaded small groups. In addition, results of the content analysis show danmaku primarily supports indirect interaction with a focus on the socio-emotional dimension, while the discussion board serves as a platform for direct discussions, particularly in the cognitive dimension. Furthermore, within the context of large-scale engagement, various levels of joint interaction, in addition to collaboration, are discerned and discussed in both socio-emotional and cognitive interactions. The findings offer insights for developing sociable and scalable socio-technical environments in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), addressing emerging educational trends. Practical implications for educational design based on these findings are also discussed.

Unveiling Effective CSCL Constructs for STEM Education in Malaysia and Indonesia

The acquisition of knowledge and skills in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) plays a crucial role in fostering the development of future innovators. These subjects are critical for creating future thinkers. Additionally, it is important to note that there are a lot of job openings in the STEM fields, and this trend is expected to keep growing. However, students don’t seem to be as motivated to study in STEM fields or work in STEM fields. One teaching method that is becoming more popular is computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). This is because it can have a big effect on how people learn, especially in STEM subjects. It is very important to set up a CSCL learning environment for STEM schooling right away. However, that there isn’t a good framework and there aren’t many widely used design methods in this area. Without a question, there is a strong need to learn more about design methodologies in the areas of collaborative and technology-enhanced learning to come up with simple methods for CSCL. Because of this, the goal of this study is to investigate the conceptual parts of CSCL methods in STEM education. This will be used to make CSCL educational methods that are good especially for STEM education. STEM academics in Malaysia and Indonesia were surveyed using questionnaires to find the most important parts of CSCL strategies in STEM education, and the results were analysed using the Fuzzy Delphi Method. The results give us a list of CSCL settings used in schools, which can be used as a guide for creating and using CSCL strategies in STEM education.

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL OF COMPUTER-SUPPORTED COLLABORATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING IN KAZAKHSTAN

Language learning is an essential skill in an increasingly interconnected world, facilitating effective communication and fostering cultural understanding. It is a critical aspect of education in a globalized world, particularly in culturally diverse nations like Kazakhstan. Through various methodologies and technologies, language learning empowers individuals to navigate diverse linguistic landscapes and engage meaningfully with people from different backgrounds. This article explores the transformative potential of Computer-Supported Collaborative Language Learning (CSCLL) as an innovative approach to language education in Kazakhstan. Grounded in theories of social constructivism and socio-cultural learning, CSCLL integrates technology with collaborative learning methodologies to enhance language acquisition and proficiency. Kazakhstan's linguistic landscape, characterized by the significance of Kazakh, Russian, and other languages, underscores the relevance of innovative language education approaches. CSCLL offers benefits such as increased motivation, improved communicative competence, and enhanced cultural awareness, aligning well with Kazakhstan's multicultural context. However, effective CSCLL implementation requires attention to factors such as technological infrastructure, teacher training, and curriculum alignment. Through research methods including surveys, experimental studies, content analysis, and longitudinal studies, this article provides insights into the perceptions, experiences, and expectations of educators and students regarding CSCLL in Kazakhstan. Despite challenges such as technological disparities and pedagogical adaptation, CSCLL holds promise for enhancing language learning outcomes and promoting cultural competence in Kazakhstan's educational system.

The Effects of Three Scaffoldings on Computer-Supported, Robot-Assisted Collaborative Programming in Higher Education

Computer-supported, robot-assisted collaborative programming (CSRACP) is a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) mode used in programming education. CSRACP allows students to work in groups with the support of robots to achieve programming functions and complete complex tasks. This research applied multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) to examine the effects of three pedagogical scaffoldings (i.e., conceptual, task-oriented, and meta-cognitive scaffolding) on student pairs’ CSRACP activities in higher education. The results revealed that students under conceptual scaffolding had the low-level cognitive engagement, task-oriented regulation, and low-level socio-emotional expression, with the lowest programming task score; students under task-oriented scaffolding had the operation-driven cognitive engagement, observation-oriented regulation, and low-level socio-emotional expression, with the highest programming task score; and students under meta-cognitive scaffolding had the communication-driven cognitive engagement, exploration-oriented regulation and high-level socio-emotional expression, with the medium programming task score. Based on these findings, pedagogical and analytical implications were proposed to promote CSRACP in higher education.

Zooming in: The role of nonverbal behavior in sensing the quality of collaborative group engagement

Successful computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) relies on collaborative group engagement, a complex construct characterized by multifaceted, dynamic, socio-emotional, and socio-cognitive processes. This paper provides a detailed analysis of collaborative group engagement, with a particular focus on nonverbal behaviors as indicators of high versus low group engagement. Using video observations and a multi-method approach, we examine in detail the relationships between different dimensions of group engagement (i.e., behavioral, social, cognitive, and conceptual-to-consequential engagement) and nonverbal behaviors. Using qualitative case analysis, we also provide a rich examination of selected cases to identify the role that nonverbal behaviors play in high-engagement sequences compared with low-engagement sequences. Our findings shed light on specific nonverbal behaviors, including nodding, laughing, and eye contact, as significant indicators of high versus low collaborative group engagement. Notably, more of these nonverbal behaviors are evident in high-engagement sequences, suggesting mutual reinforcement on each dimension of engagement—with the exception of behavioral engagement, where increased laughing or smiling is evident in low-engagement sequences, but still serves a productive group process. The paper concludes with a discussion and implications of the findings. By demonstrating the role of nonverbal behaviors as important indicators, this work contributes to the understanding of the complex, dynamic, and contextualized nature of collaborative group engagement in CSCL settings.

Your body tells how you engage in collaboration: Machine‐detected body movements as indicators of engagement in collaborative math knowledge building

AbstractCollaborative learning, driven by knowledge co‐construction and meaning negotiation, is a pivotal aspect of educational contexts. While gesture's importance in conveying shared meaning is recognized, its role in collaborative group settings remains understudied. This gap hinders accurate and equitable assessment and instruction, particularly for linguistically diverse students. Advancements in multimodal learning analytics, leveraging sensor technologies, offer innovative solutions for capturing and analysing body movements. This study employs these novel approaches to demonstrate how learners' machine‐detected body movements during the learning process relate to their verbal and nonverbal contributions to the co‐construction of embodied math knowledge. These findings substantiate the feasibility of utilizing learners' machine‐detected body movements as a valid indicator for inferring their engagement with the collaborative knowledge construction process. In addition, we empirically validate that these inferred different levels of learner engagement indeed impact the desired learning outcomes of the intervention. This study contributes to our scientific understanding of multimodal approaches to knowledge expression and assessment in learning, teaching, and collaboration.Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Previous research emphasizes the importance of gestures as essential tools for constructing common ground and reflecting shared meaning‐making in learning and teaching contexts. The prior studies in multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) suggest that certain forms of body movements and postures can be differentiated based on the automatic detection of upper body joint locations. Empirical observations indicate that co‐thought gestures typically involve smaller hand or arms movement that are closer to the gesturer's body than co‐speech gestures used in interpersonal communication. What this paper adds This paper fills the research gap by examining the use of gestures in collaborative learning, offering insights into how individuals contribute verbally and nonverbally to collaborative knowledge construction. This paper introduces the concept of using machine‐detected body movements as a viable proxy for inferring learners' engagement in collaborative knowledge‐building activities. Leverages sensor technologies for automatic detection of body movements, the innovative approach in this work seeks to overcome the time‐intensive and laborious process of manually coding gestures. Implications for practice and/or policy By recognizing the potential significance of learners' body movements in indicating engagement levels with collaborative knowledge‐building activities, instructors can set up computer‐supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments to enable capturing these movements. Given the crucial role of gestures in learning, teaching, and collaboration, educators can create more equitable formative assessment practices for linguistically diverse students by developing strategies that align with multimodal forms of knowledge expression. Research can expand beyond mathematics to explore the transferability of these findings to other subjects, helping educators create comprehensive pedagogical approaches that leverage multimodal interactions across disciplines.

Impact of pre-knowledge and engagement in robot-supported collaborative learning through using the ICAPB model

Several challenges exist in computer-supported collaborative learning environments, such as the potential for distraction and student boredom and isolation, which may adversely affect the quality of collaborative learning and knowledge construction. On the other hand, as an innovative learning tool, physical robots are seen as successful collaborative learning facilitators that can raise student engagement, strengthen social presence, and boost learning results. Meanwhile, tasks designed based on Bloom's taxonomy further ensure students' attention and cognitive growth in robot-supported collaborative learning (RSCL) environments. Although some researchers have explored how to maintain engagement in previous studies on robots, it is still difficult due to the lack of a commonly employed annotation method for evaluating engagement. Therefore, this study proposed the interactive, constructive, active, passive, and behavioral (ICAPB) engagement coding model, combining cognitive and behavioral engagement, to comprehensively analyze the relationship between pre-knowledge, student engagement, and learning achievement in the RSCL environment. An experiment was conducted in a first-aid course at a university to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. The study involved a total of 36 students using a collaborative robotic system with Bloom's taxonomy. The results showed that pre-knowledge, whether at a high or low level, did not significantly affect students' posttest scores. Instead, student engagement significantly positively impacted their learning achievement.

Male Students in Female-Dominated Study Programs: Perceived Diversity Climate in Gender-Mixed Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Background: Male students’ achievements in female-dominated study programs have garnered limited research attention. This study investigates the relationship between psychology students’ perceived diversity climate and their learning outcomes in a gender-mixed computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) course in introductory psychology. Our main hypotheses were that the diversity climate—learning outcome relationships would be stronger for male (gender minority) than for female students (gender majority). Methods: This study used data from a large sample of university first-year students at a blended learning university ( n = 1,172, 75% female) with three points of measurement in a 9-week CSCL assignment. Findings: Moderated-mediation regression analyses confirmed that students’ perceptions of the diversity climate in their CSCL group were significantly related to gains in online learning self-efficacy among male, but not female students. Furthermore, by increasing gains in self-efficacy, climate perceptions also translated into better quiz performance among male students. Contributions: This study shows that for men perceived diversity climate is a significant determinant of their individual learning outcomes. This calls for paying more attention to the minority perspectives of males in female-dominated psychological programs to better understand why this is the case.

Dialogues across time and space in a video-based collaborative learning environment

In this study, we investigate how pre-service teachers’ group dialogues emerged and intersected across time and space as students collaboratively constructed a video-based mind map to prepare for oral exams in a pedagogy course. The study was conducted as part of a design-based research project investigating the ways that video-based mind maps can support learning as both a collaborative activity and a classroom resource. We applied interaction analysis methods to recordings taken during the production of the mind map as well as the videos made by students within the mind map itself to analyze synchronous and asynchronous dialogues among group members as they viewed, recorded, and uploaded videos. The findings offer an in-depth understanding of how collaboration occurs in different space-time configurations within and across groups as mediated by video resources. We discuss how these findings contribute to computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) research on the ways collaboration can emerge across different levels of activity as well as the pedagogical implications for introducing video-based dialogues into the classroom.

Activating argumentation schema to write argumentatively and tactfully

To argue tactfully is a goal in argumentative writing, which entails balanced argumentation schema. Although computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has been widely acknowledged as language learning mediation, especially in writing, few studies investigate its effectiveness in activating the balanced argumentation schema. This study explores the effectiveness of QQ group discussion, a kind of CSCL mediation most popular in China, in argumentative writing by means of quasi-experiment and interview. Fifty-six second-year college students in an English Department participated in this study. The experimental group were asked to have a pre-writing QQ group discussion on a disputable topic while the control group had an in-class face-to-face discussion (a regular teaching method for English majors). Content analysis of the essays was made to investigate the use of Counterargument elements, Qualifier and Concession. The results show that the two groups had no difference in the use of Counterargument-claim and Rebuttal. However, the experimental group surpassed the control group in Counterargument-data, Concession and Qualifier, which signifies more argumentativeness and tactfulness. In the delayed post-test this group still performed better. The interview transcriptions were coded and analyzed by inductive content analysis with the functions of QQ discussion as the themes. The result not only supported that of the experiment, but also revealed why and how QQ mediation could help activate the balanced argumentation schema. It is suggested that CSCL mediation should be promoted in argumentative writing instruction so that the students could write argumentatively and tactfully.