Exploring the lack of dialogue in computer-supported collaborative learning

This work believes that some of the learning in CSCL environments occurs from the observation of the dialogue, the reflection induced by the potential of submitting, and in the interaction between the face-to-face and on-line environments.

Abstract

Research in collaborative learning has supported the hypothesis that dialogue between peers and between peers and teachers facilitates learning by the participants in the dialogue. Examples of these dialogues show dozens of turns (individual utterances by participants) in a single learning session. In contrast, measurements of interaction from computer-supported collaborative learning environments show that on-line dialogue looks much different, with an average of approximately one posting or less per student per week. Measurements of learning in these environments do suggest learning is occurring, but presumably, not based on the same kind of dialogue described in research on face-to-face collaboration. We explore explanations for how the learning is arising in CSCL environments based on the Vicarious Learning Project (Lee, Dineen, McKendree, & Mayes, 1999; McKendree, Stenning, Mayes, Lee, & Cox, 1998), but in the course of this explanation, two additional hypotheses emerge. We believe that some of the learning in CSCL environments occurs from the observation of the dialogue, the reflection induced by the potential of submitting, and in the interaction between the face-to-face and on-line environments.