Visual modeling of competence development in cooperative learning settings

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel approach to modeling cooperative learning sequences and the promotion of team and social competences in blended learning courses. In a case study - a course on Project Management for Computer Science students - the instructional design including individual and cooperative learning situations was modeled. Specific emphasis was put on visualizing the hypothesized development of team competences during the design stage. These design models were subsequently compared to evaluation results obtained during the course. The results show that visual modeling of planned competence promotion enables more focused design, implementation and evaluation of collaborative learning scenarios. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.