0000000000616347
AUTHOR
Aleksandra Lazareva
Promoting collaborative interactions in a learning management system
This study aimed at addressing social and technological challenges in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) setting. Observations were made in the context of an online Master's degree program. A group of four students supported by online tutors and facilitators participated in the study. Interaction analysis (IA) helped reveal both successful and problematic aspects in the CSCL setting. The role of the online tutors' prompts and pointers was critical in scaffolding effective collaborative interactions among students in a learning management system (LMS). The students chose to use additional tools besides the LMS in their collaborative learning activities. The analysis also reve…
Role Scripting as a Tool to Foster Transactivity of Asynchronous Student Discussions
Transactivity of student discussions is crucial in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). However, CSCL learners often lack well-developed argumentation and negotiation skills, which makes it challenging for them to engage in and maintain a transactive discussion. Collaboration scripts have been implemented in CSCL contexts and have demonstrated positive effects on students' collaboration and argumentation skills. Yet, the degree of transactivity of student interactions is rarely addressed directly in CSCL research. Employing a qualitative content analysis approach, this study seeks to understand how a role script affects the transactivity of students' argumentative knowledge co-…
Factors Affecting Student Engagement in Online Collaborative Learning Courses
Student engagement is a crucial precondition for successful learning. However, the discussion of engagement in online learning contexts has been limited. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to contribute to the current understanding of what affects online students’ engagement. The paper reports on a case study conducted in the context of Uganda. A focus group interview was carried out with 14 participants of online collaborative learning courses. I identified four categories of factors affecting online students’ engagement: (1) the online course environment, (2) informal online groups established by students, (3) interactions with co-located peers, and (4) online group dynamics. Thus,…
Facilitating Collaboration
This article explores the potential synergy between computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and collaboration engineering (CE). Both areas pursue the goal of understanding how to manage interactions in collaborative groups to achieve shared understanding, reduce process losses, and improve performance. By analyzing the research in the two areas, the authors identify several topics where exchange of research findings would be of mutual benefit. For example, research on CE can inform collaboration script research on reducing learners' cognitive load, providing sufficient guidance on the use of tools, and specifying the instructor role during the collaborative learning process. Simila…
Administratīvo aktu klasifikācija un piemērošana.
Maģistra darba „Administratīvo aktu klasifikācija un piemērošana” mērķis ir administratīvo aktu klasifikācijas izpēte, to regulējošo tiesību normu iztulkošana un to piemērošanas kļūdu un problēmjautājumu definēšana. Maģistra darbā pamatā ir izmantotas vairākas pētījuma metodes - salīdzinošā metode un analoģijas slēdziens. Maģistra darbs sastāv no ievada, četrām nodaļām, kopsavilkuma un izmantotās literatūras un juridisko aktu saraksta. Darba ievadā tiek pamatota izvēlētās tēmas aktualitāte, formulēts pētījuma mērķis un noteikti galvenie pētījuma uzdevumi. Maģistra darbā raksturoti Latvijas administratīvā procesa tiesībās pazīstami administratīvo aktu veidi atkarībā no: ietekmes uz adresātu,…
Digital communication and collaboration in lower secondary school
This article investigates factors influencing teachers in secondary school when they plan for pupils’ use of digital tools for collaboration and communication. Six social studies teachers in Oslo were interviewed about how they facilitate digital collaboration and communication. The results demonstrate that teachers facilitate this to a certain extent, both in the form of pupils’ co-writing and sharing files with each other. However, there is little communication between pupils by means of digital tools as an integrated part of the teaching. None of the teachers mentioned communication using digital tools as part of basic competence without being directly asked about it. Based on the analys…
Role of the Online Tutor in Establishing Social Presence in Asynchronous Text-Based Collaborative Learning Environments
The main objective of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the online tutor’s role in establishing and maintaining the feeling of social presence among the participants in asynchronous text-based collaborative learning environments. The context of the study is a distributed online course involving groups of participants who do not have a shared history of working together. The data were collected from a student survey and follow-up interviews. The study shows how the online tutor’s facilitation in such environments is crucial, and several practical implications for online tutors are presented. In addition, complementing the asynchronous text-based learning platform with synchr…
A Framework for Small Group Support in Online Collaborative Learning - Combining Collaboration Scripts and Online Tutoring
Many learners experience difficulties engaging in collaborative learning activities online. Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) scripts have been implemented to support online learners. Collaboration scripts have shown much potential in facilitating students’ general collaboration skills. However, reported effects of collaboration scripts on domain-specific knowledge acquisition have been less positive. In this paper, I suggest an alternative framework for supporting CSCL learners by combining collaboration scripting and online tutoring. While collaboration scripts can facilitate the acquisition of general collaboration skills, the online tutor is capable of monitoring and asse…
Conceptualizing Collaboration in the Context of Computer-supported Collaborative Learning
âCollaborative learningâ has become a common expression in a wide range of spheres. We often say that we learn collaboratively when we perform a task together. However, the term âcollaborative learningâ has more complex implications than only doing a task together with peers. Successful collaborative learning is characterized by meaningful and intense interactions among peers and shared understanding of the concepts. In computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) learnersâ interactions are mediated by technological artifacts, therefore, the role of technologies becomes highly important from both cognitive and motivational perspectives. In this paper I discuss the essence of c…
Reflection Assignment as a Tool to Support Students’ Metacognitive Awareness in the Context of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
The present study explores the potential of a reflection assignment as a tool for supporting master’s degree students’ metacognitive skills in the context of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). The research question (RQ) is formulated as follows: How does a regularly submitted reflection assignment support the development of students’ individual metacognitive awareness in the context of CSCL? The empirical data is a text corpus (7878 words) extracted from individual students’ (N = 13) reflection assignments (N = 65) submitted during one semester. Qualitative content analysis was employed to analyze the data. The results demonstrate that by the end of the course, the students s…
Digital Storytelling Project as a Way to Engage Students in Twenty-First Century Skills Learning
[EN] This paper is focused on the implications of a collaborative digital storytelling project on student engagement in the higher education context. The empirical study is conducted with an interdisciplinary group of bachelor students in a Nordic University (N = 22) and a university in Southern Europe (N = 21), and the data are collected through an online student survey. The results demonstrate that the digital storytelling project supported students’ behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. In general, the students had positive emotional experiences with the project. This assignment format was found less stressful than a frontal presentation in the classroom, allowing the students…