Taking Articulation Work Seriously

256 Pages·2001·1.24 MB·English

by  Annita Fjuk

Computer Support for Distributed
Collaborative Learning.
Exploring a Complex Problem Area.
Annita Fjuk
January 1998
Supervisor: Dr. Leikny Øgrim
Submitted for the partial fulfillment of the degree Dr. Scient.
Department Informatics
Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
University of Oslo
Preface
This Dr. Scient. thesis is submitted to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural
Sciences, Department of Informatics, at the University of Oslo. The thesis is a
result of my work between January 1994 and January 1998.
My work lies in the intersection between the research domains of Computer
Support for Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and distance education. In joint
collaboration with Lone-Dirckinck-Holmfeld (University of Aalborg, Denmark) I
have introduced the notion of Computer Support for distributed Collaborative
Learning (CSdCL) to underline the physical distance between the collaborating
students.
The motivation for this research is my work between 1990 and 1994 at the
Norwegian NKS Distance Education. NKS Distance Education is, both nationally
and internationally, known in distance education and made lifelong learning
possible long before it became an objective of modern society. Rooted in
correspondence education, NKS has during the last two decades experimented
with communication technologies to support various models of distance learning.
During my own work, I was responsible for organizing collaborative learning
through text-based computer conferencing systems. I experienced a number of
problems regarding the combination of these systems and good pedagogical
practice. I found these problems in sharp contrast to the increasing enthusiasm
associated with the use of the technologies to education and learning. These
problems motivated me to do further investigations, both empirically and
theoretically.
The importance of this research became evident during the last years' increasing
public and political debate on adult education and life long learning. The focus of
the debate is on the importance of competence development and further education
alongside work, in a society finding itself in radical social and economic change:
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"Production relationships and conditions of employment are
changing. Corporate organization is increasingly turning towards
flexibility and decentralization. The search for flexibility, the
development of networked-based cooperation, the increased use of
subcontracting, the development of work in teams, are some of the
consequences of information technology. (...). The new
technologies have a twofold effect. On the one hand, they
considerably increase the role of the human factor in the
production process while on the other hand make workers more
vulnerable to changes in work organization because they are mere
individuals within complex network. (...) Information technologies
are making significant inroads into production-related activities
and into education and training, thus bringing the 'learning system'
and 'the producing system' closer together" (European
Commission, 1994, p. 23)
In Norway, lifelong learning is given considerable attention in public debate
and political reports (Report no. 43 (1988-1989); Report no. 24 (1993-1994);
NOU, 1992; NOU, 1997; IT in Norwegian Education, 1995).
The building of a society — in which work-life quality is understood in terms
of lifelong learning — depends on the ability to organize educational alternatives
based on open and flexible approaches to teaching and learning (European
Commission, 1994; IT in Norwegian education, 1995). Distance education has
received renewed interest for organizing learning situations that are flexible with
respect to the lives and obligations of the adult workforce. The Internet has
received particular attention to bring work and learning closer together.
The political emphasis given to the role of the Internet in organizing lifelong
learning is important. My argument is, however, that an uncritical emphasis
compels the educational institutions to apply the Internet to something, without
any clear idea of why or how it can be used to provide learning benefits for the
adult learners. The Internet can thus become an obstacle, rather than a support for
learning and teaching. Reflection on past practice of, what I in this thesis term
CSdCL, is therefore essential to create new and worthwhile solutions for lifelong
learning.
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Summary
This doctorate thesis is an exploratory study of distributed and computer-mediated
collaborative learning. The work lies in the intersection of the research domains:
Computer Support for Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and distance education.
The notion of Computer Support for distributed Collaborative Learning (CSdCL)
is introduced in this thesis to focus on collaborative learning situations where the
students are individually separated by physical distance.
The thesis presents and discusses findings from my investigations on a number
of CSdCL cases. Based on these investigations I argue that the students'
collaborative processes are affected by various factors. These factors manifest
themselves in a field of tension between existing institutional practice on learning
and teaching, physical separation of the collaborating students, and computer
systems that serve as mediators of collaboration. To what extent this field of
tension is critical to the students' collaborative processes and to individual
outcome of collaborating, is dependent on subject matters and pedagogical
principles prescribed in the pedagogical method. I argue, however, that existing
practice and methods must be reconsidered for CSdCL purposes. Concerning
systems design, I argue that heterogeneous computer environments and networked
computers must be taken seriously to make computer systems that work as
resources for distributed collaborative learning. Based on this argumentation, I
have developed two frameworks that are aimed at guiding an institution's planning
of CSdCL and computer systems design, respectively. The first framework
focuses on issues that treat CSdCL differently from more conventional forms of
learning and teaching. The second framework focuses on tensions between
computer systems and central principles of collaborative learning. I have used the
frameworks in a practical design situation. The CSdCL designs were based on the
pedagogical ideals of project-based learning and on the opportunities that World
Wide Web gives to communication across a wide range of platforms. The results
are a pedagogical approach to CSdCL and a computer system. I conclude,
however, that it is still complicated to develop solutions for CSdCL that result in
good practice. Good practice is not only dependent on good design ideas but also
on organizational as well as individual maturity with respect to using new
technology in learning. Today, CSdCL is just in the beginning of a path to such a
practice.
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Acknowledgments
Several colleagues and friends have supported me during the research. First, I am
extremely grateful to Leikny Øgrim, my supervisor, for her encouragement
through every messy emotion during the whole process, and for very insightful
cooperation and interesting discussions. She has been a hard but very constructive
supervisor. I also would like to thank Kristen Nygaard, who critically guided me
through the initial phase of my research. I am also very grateful for the insights
offered by Lone Dirckinck-Holmfeld. Her thoughts and perspectives have been
very inspiring both in our joint cooperation and in a number of discussions taking
place during my stay at the Aalborg University. She has also given very valuable
comments on various versions of the thesis. I have also been graced by occasional
mind-blowing discussions with Joan Greenbaum, who helped me to crystallize
many of my thoughts.
I would like to thank those who introduced me to the field of distance
education, and taught me the practice; My former colleagues at the Norwegian
NKS Distance Education. Special thanks to Erling Ljoså for providing insightful
comments on parts of the thesis. Then, ultimately, Elsebeth Korsgaard Sorensen,
who, through our cooperation and friendship over several years, has provided new
insight into my thinking. She has also given very fruitful comments on drafts of
the thesis. Other people have patently listened to my thoughts, and critically but
gently contributed to me thinking. I owe a special thank to Ole Smørdal and
Markku Nurminen for many interesting discussions and fruitful cooperation. I
also owe a special thank to Ola Berge for the discussions we had during his
master thesis study, but also for his useful comments on drafts of the thesis. I owe
very special thanks to Ole Smørdal, Anders Mørch and Eevi Beck for reading the
same things over and over again, and for giving valuable feedback. Other
members of the Systems Development Group, Tone Bratteteig, Ole Hanseth and
Dagny Stuedahl, have provided feedback on drafts of the thesis. I would also like
to thank Bjørn Faugli for setting aside time to read drafts and for discussing
central topics from practice.
I owe thanks to the people who helped me with the non-academic work through
the last phase. Special thanks to my colleague and friend during several years,
Tone Irene Sandahl, who helped me with the final layout. I would also like to
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thank Elsa Ruud and Karina Ruud for correcting the English of the thesis. Last,
but not at least, deepest thanks to the people of my family who have helped me
beyond my ability to thank them: My parents. Then finally, Sigmund, who has
showed me what love is for the months during which my gaze was locked on the
computer screen, and, Natalie for her precocious patience during the last months.
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Table of Contents
Part I
1 Computer Support for Distributed Collaborative Learning....................2
1.1 The Problem Area.......................................................................................3
1.2 Structure of the Thesis................................................................................5
1.2.1 Part I....................................................................................................5
1.2.2 Part II...................................................................................................6
2 Research Approach.......................................................................................8
2.1 Research Philosophy...................................................................................8
2.2 Theoretical Approach................................................................................10
2.3 The CSdCL Cases.....................................................................................13
2.3.1 Research Sites...................................................................................13
2.3.2 NKS Distance Education...................................................................15
2.3.3 The University of Aalborg................................................................19
2.3.4 The British Open University.............................................................21
2.4 Summary...................................................................................................21
3 Theories on Interaction in Learning.........................................................22
3.1 Interaction in Collaborative Learning.......................................................22
3.1.1 Piaget and Socio Cognitive Theories................................................23
3.1.2 Vygotsky and Socio Cultural Theories..............................................25
3.1.3 Problem-oriented Project Pedagogy..................................................27
3.1.4 Learning by Expanding.....................................................................28
3.1.5 Legitimate Peripheral Participation...................................................30
3.2 Interaction in Distance Learning...............................................................31
3.3 Systems Approaches.................................................................................33
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3.4 Discussion.................................................................................................36
4 Research Goals............................................................................................38
4.1 Identifying Critical Factors........................................................................38
4.2 Developing Frameworks...........................................................................39
4.3 Pointing towards Possible Solutions.........................................................40
4.4 The Research Questions and the Contributions........................................41
5 Factors Affecting Interactional Processes.................................................42
5.1 Distance Education Experiences...............................................................43
5.1.1 Computer-Mediated Interaction and Text Elaboration.....................44
5.1.2 Computer-Mediated Interaction and Teacher Guidance...................47
5.1.3 Systems Development.......................................................................48
5.1.4 Discussion.........................................................................................48
5.1.5 Summary...........................................................................................50
5.2 Collaborative Learning Experiences.........................................................51
5.2.1 Tensions between Pedagogical and Technological Aspects.............53
5.2.2 Tensions between Pedagogical and Organizational Aspects............56
5.2.3 Tensions between Organizational and Technological Aspects.........58
5.3 Summary...................................................................................................60
6 Frameworks for CSdCL.............................................................................62
6.1 A Framework for CSdCL Planning and Evaluation..................................63
6.1.1 Discussion.........................................................................................67
6.2 A Framework for Systems Design............................................................68
6.2.1 Spatial Concepts and Social Worlds.................................................69
6.2.2 Incorporation of Computer Applications in Collaborative Learning 72
6.3 Summary...................................................................................................76
7 Using the Frameworks................................................................................78
7.1.1 Character: The Students’ and the Teachers’ role..............................79
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7.1.2 Thought: Collaborative Learning through the World Wide Web.....79
7.1.3 Language: The Selection and Arrangement of Words......................83
7.1.4 Melody: Supporting the Institutional Tradition.................................83
7.1.5 Spectacle: Everything that is Seen....................................................84
7.2 Discussion.................................................................................................85
7.3 Summary...................................................................................................86
8 Conclusion....................................................................................................87
9 Further Research.........................................................................................90
9.1 Organizational Changes............................................................................90
9.2 Situated Design.........................................................................................91
9.3 Use of the Frameworks.............................................................................91
References.........................................................................................................93
Part II
Towards an Analytical Framework for CSCdistanceL..............................103
Articulation of Action in Distributed Collaborative Learning..................113
The Computer's Incorporated Role in Work..............................................142
Drama as a Metaphor for Design of Situated, Collaborative
Distributed Learning.....................................................................................162
The Dichotomy of Distributed Collaborative Learning.............................196
Towards Transcendent Thinking in Design of Distributed
Collaborative Learning Environments........................................................210
Appendix 1: Soft Dialectics...........................................................................239
Appendix 2: Dynamix....................................................................................242
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Part I