Monitoring pattern-based CSCL scripts: A case study

Abstract

Two strategies have been proposed in CSCL to foster effective collaboration: structuring the learning scenario by means of collaboration scripts and monitoring interactions among participants in order to detect and regulate potential deviations from the initial plan. In order to help teachers in this endeavor, we propose to combine these two approaches by means of a process where design takes into account the especial requirements posed by monitoring, and monitoring is informed by the characteristics of the scripts that must be met to achieve the learning goals. These desired features are obtained from the constraints defined by the collaborative-learning flow patterns on which the scripts are based. The result is an automated and higher-level view about the evolution of the learning process, integrating the data gathered from the different tools. This paper also presents a case study based on an authentic experience in higher education where these ideas were tried out. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.