Final Model and Methodology for Collaborative Learning Activities

Abstract

Work package 7 of the ROLE project aimed at developing a methodology for building and sustaining communities of lifelong learners who collaborate on shared outcomes by using PLE technologies. In this deliverable the theoretical framework of the WP7 is summarised, its application in practice is shown, and findings from (old and new) test-beds are highlighted. Therefore, Section 1 starts with giving an overview of WP7’s framework which includes a model of learner interactions in collaborative, ICT-based activities as well as a methodology for PLE-based collaboration in learning ecologies. Then, Section 2 outlines the case studies and characterises the data-set collected for this deliverable. In Section 3, community aspects are analysed on the basis of the data-sets given, and conclusions on community-related factors are derived. Finally, the Sections 4 to 6 address community-specific topics, namely good practice sharing in PLE communities (learners and other stakeholders!), PLE recommendations which are based on community data, as well as learning goal mining in learner interaction data. For each of these practical approaches, the fundamentals are briefly elaborated, related work and ROLE achievements are outlined, and the WP-related findings are summarised. Overall, it can be said that the realisation of the WP7 framework can be identified in various test-beds and technological components. Learner interactions are captured in log-files, through ROLE tracking services, sharing approaches or other high-level concepts of learning communities. Analysing these usage data allows drawing conclusions on community-related factors, as e.g. given by the ROLE Evaluation Framework. Moreover, technology usage data collected within learning communities enables interesting functionality for learners, such as Learning Analytics features, recommender tools for PLEs, practice sharing strategies as well as pedagogical mining techniques. This deliverable reports about quantitative findings on the different community-related research aspects and their interpretations are while a concluding summary on community aspects in the test-beds is depicted in D7.5, ‘Final experience report’. It refers to the WP objectives 1, 2 and 5 (cf. ROLE-DoW, p. 58): • Developing a methodology for building and altering networks of actors, artefacts, and activities on the basis of PLEs • Empowering learners with learning environment design capabilities and facilitating learnability for creating PLE mash-ups • Examining characteristics, constraints, and success factors of flexible, dynamically changing, and networked communities This deliverable is an outcome of all WP7 tasks and particularly of the tasks 7.4 and 7.5 (cf. ROLE-DoW, p. 59). It is intended for facilitators of learning communities as well as for researchers and developers of community functionality, like Learning Analytics tools, educational recommender technologies, or sharing and mining approaches. Within the ROLE project, this deliverable attempts to fulfil the objectives RO1, RO3 and RO4: • RO1: support the individual assembly of accessible learning services, tools and resources in responsive open learning environments (ROLE) • RO3: create new engineering methodologies to enable significant contributions to ROLE from learner and developer communities from outside the project consortium • RO4: develop and sustain an evaluation methodology to systematically demonstrate the effectiveness of different ROLEs in test-beds focused on the transition of learners The document relates to the deliverables D7.1/ID7.2 (‘Model and Methodology for PLE-Based Collaboration in Learning Ecologies’), ID7.1 (‘Draft Prototypes of a Mash-up PLE’), D7.2 (‘Strategies and Facilities for Activity Pattern Sharing’) and D4.5/D7.4 (‘Reference implementation of mash-up personal learning environments to foster the broad community uptake’) but also to various other deliverables from other work packages (e.g. the ROLE Evaluation Framework (WP6), the Requirements Bazaar (WP1), the Widget Store, the Showcase Platform (WP4), the Software Development Kit (WP3 and WP4) and many other ROLE prototypes and technologies (WP1 to WP6)).