Information management

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Learning by discussion when applied to on-line collaborative learning settings can provide signifi cant benefi ts for students in education in general. Indeed, the discussion process plays an important social task in collaborative learning practices. Participants can discuss about the activity being performed, collaborate with each other through the exchange of ideas that may arise, propose new resolution mechanisms, justify and refi ne their own contributions, and as a result, acquire new knowledge. Considering these benefi ts, current educational organizations incorporate on-line discussions into web-based courses as part of the very rationale of their pedagogical models. However, in-class collaborative assignments are usually greatly participated and contributed, which makes the monitoring and assessment tasks by tutors and moderators time-consuming, tedious and error-prone. Specially hard