Collaborative learning at the computer; How social processes ‘interface’ with human-computer interaction

In drawing an ‘outline sketch’ of the field of research on interactional learning situations with computers, this paper attempts to provide a general framework for the contributions which follow. After a brief overview of the theoretical grounding of studies in the field, we examine the extent to which learner-computer interaction and learner-learner interaction can interfere with or support one another.

The need for a change of theoretical perspective on the role of social interaction in learning is highlighted. It is argued that viewing collaborative learning in terms of joint negotiation of a common problem space might help in defining the optimal characteristics of educational software.

Finally, the critical role of social dimensions such as social comparisons between partners is pointed out. In conclusion, the need for more local theories, taking particular account of the learning domain, is stressed.

     

Book Review Evaluating Teaching: A Guide to Current Thinking and Best Practice. James H. Stronge (Ed.) Thousand Oaks,CA: Corwin Press, 1997, 316 pp. paperback $34.95, hardback $74.95

Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability -     

Undergraduates Leading Undergraduates: Peer Facilitation in a Science Workshop Program

This article presents the results of a study investigating the experiences of undergraduatesacting as peer leaders in an extensive peer-led team learning program in introductory undergraduate sciences and engineering courses. In an effort to understand the facilitator experience in the program better and to report initial findings on the benefits derived through a peer-facilitation experience, the study identified multiple areas in which peer facilitators reported experiences ofgrowth and the ways in which they understood and responded to this growth. Marina Micari, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, is Associate Researcher, Gateway Science Workshop Program, Northwestern University. Her interests include adult continuing education and cross-cultural communication. Bernhard Streitwieser, Ph.D. Columbia University, is Associate Director, Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University, and Lecturer, German Department, Northwestern University. His interests include comparative education and contemporary German society; European Education and systemic reform. Gregory Light, Ph.D., University of London, is Director, Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern University. His interests include the theory and practice of learning and teaching in higher and professional education.     

Mobile agency and relational webs in women’s narratives of international study

Higher Education - Internationalisation and forced migration are rarely thought about as related phenomena in higher education (HE) literature. Internationalisation is associated with movement,...     

Do not despise failures: students’ failure mindset,perception of parents’ failure mindset,and implicit theory of intelligence

This study was the first to investigate the prospective effects of failure mindsets on implicit theories of intelligence (ITI), whose profound effects on learning, motivation, and academic achievement have found increasing support. Participants were 240 Chinese university students (180 females, M_age = 19.13) who completed a baseline and a 1-year follow-up survey. The cross-lagged panel model supported the study’s hypothesis that students’ perception of their parents’ view of failure as debilitating at baseline predicted their own failure-is-debilitating mindset and entity theory of intelligence at follow-up. However, students’ failure-is-debilitating mindset at baseline did not predict their entity theory of intelligence at follow-up. A reciprocal relationship was found between students’ perception of their parents’ failure-is-debilitating mindset and their entity theory of intelligence. We recommend programs be implemented to educate parents of the value of failure and how their conveying positive views of failure can be constructive to students’ trajectory of learning and intellectual growth.

     

Asia-born New Zealand-educated business graduates' transition to work

In 2008 the Asia New Zealand Foundation commissioned a three-year project examining Asia-born New Zealand-educated business graduates' study to work transitions. Data were collected through annual online surveys and in-depth interviews. Graduates were asked to discuss their post-study experiences, reflections on studying in New Zealand, and perceptions of their New Zealand business education. Participants included 171 (phase one), 76 (phase two) and 41 (phase three) students and recent graduates. All except one were based in New Zealand or the Asia region. In this paper we draw on “engaged pedagogy” and “functional capabilities” perspectives to consider phase two and three participants' accounts of their study to work transition pathways. Specifically, we examine two “functional capabilities” that participants discussed in relation to their post-study experiences: having economic opportunities and developing a sense of affiliation. We highlight some barriers to each “capability” that emerged in participants' accounts and consider how participants envisaged their role in fostering ongoing Asia-New Zealand connections. We conclude with some suggested implications for policy and practice in New Zealand and in internationalized HE more generally.     

Social and communicative processes in computer-based problem solving

This paper overviews the results of four studies designed to investigate the effects of collaborative modes of computer use upon children's performance and learning. All used the same type of problem solving task, couched within an adventure game format. The first of these studies provides a striking illustration of how children who work in pairs on a route planning task can show better learning outcomes than children who work on the same problem individually. The possible psychological processes mediating this effect are considered. The second study extends this consideration further and seeks to identify those aspects of verbal interaction that underpin productive paired interaction. The third study includes consideration of the efficacy of pairing as a function of the relative ability of pair members. The fourth study focuses upon the effects of working in the presence of others, even in the absence of interaction. Taken together, the results of the third and fourth studies highlight the importance of paying closer attention to the ways in which children construe the particular experimental conditions we create and their own position in relation to them.     

A diffractive reading of dialogical feedback through the political ethics of care

With regard to improving higher education feedback practices, there is an increasing interest in using the efficacy of dialogue rather than the more traditional unidirectional approaches. We build on this impetus by considering how the ethics of care can be used to analyse the dialogical aspects of feedback. By diffractively reading insights of Boud and Molloy [2013a. “What is the Problem with Feedback?” In Feedback in Higher and Professional Education: Understanding it and Doing it Well, edited by D. Boud, and E. Molloy, 1–10. London: Routledge; Boud, D., and E. Molloy. 2013b. “Rethinking Models of Feedback for Learning: The Challenge of Design.” Assessment &; Evaluation in Higher Education 38 (6): 698–712] on dialogic feedback through the moral elements of care ethics, this paper proposes a novel way of discerning the extent to which the dialogical giving and receiving of feedback contributes to learning. To illustrate this, we draw on experiences from an Emerging Technologies professional development course for higher educators. We examine our own dialogical interactions of giving and receiving feedback using the moral elements of care ethics – attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness and trust, to provide a concrete example of how the ethics of care can be used productively for evaluating feedback practices.     

Community learnings through residential composting in apartment buildings

Communities need to engage in initiatives that tackle environmental sustainability issues. However, the lessons communities learn from these initiatives may go far beyond the initial local project. This article presents findings from an empirical study investigating the experiences of 38 residents who began participating in on-site composting in their apartment buildings. It was found that resident learnings extended beyond composting. Free-choice learning outcomes varied by the composting method and educational approach. For some residents, participation resulted in a greater awareness of food waste produced. For others, their involvement in on-site composting inspired a greater sense of community, a deepened connection with nature, and a desire to grow green spaces and create positive global change toward sustainability.