Vol. 9 No. 4

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Divisions in Labor in School and in the Workplace: Comparing Computer and Paper-Supported Activities Across Settings

Reed R. Stevens

This study uses the concept of division of labor to investigate the comparative uses of media in 2 organizational settings (a middle school classroom and a professional architecture firm). In both settings, participants used both computer and paper-based media in architectural project work. This study found that, in both settings, collaborative labor was divided between designers who worked on paper and draftspersons who worked with computers. The analysis compares the origins of these divisions of labor and finds important similarities in the reasons for the divisions of labor and important differences in the implications of the divisions of labor for participants. The analysis links the similarities to the comparative affordances of different media for supporting collaboration and links the differences to how the 2 environments differently evaluated its participants as individuals and as members of a group.


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Achieving Coodination in Collaborative Problem-Solving Groups

Brigid Barron

In this article, interactive processes among group partners and the relationship of these processes to problem-solving outcomes are investigated in 2 contrasting groups. The case study groups were selected for robust differences in the quality of their written solutions to a problem and parallel differences in the quality of the group members' interaction. In 1 group correct proposals were generated, rejected without rationale, and for the most part left undocumented. The analyses identified 3 major contrastive dimensions in group interaction - the mutuality of exchanges, the achievement of joint attentional engagement, and the alignment of group members' goals for the problem solving process. A focus on group-level characteristics offers a distinctive strategy for examining small group learning and paves the way to understanding reasons for variability of outcomes in collaborative ventures. These dimensions may usefully inform the design and assessment of collaborative learning environments.


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Effective Discussion Through a Computer-Mediated Anchored Forum

Mark Guzdial and Jennifer Turns

Computer-mediated discussion forums (such as newsgroups or those in instructional management software environments) are becoming common in higher education. Such forums are interesting because they are not only one of the easiest technologies to add to a class but may also provide an important learning opportunity for students. However, simply making a discussion forum available does not mean that it will be used effectively to enable learning. In this paper, we explore the idea that specific features of a discussion forum may increase the likelihood of effective discussions taking place within the forum. We define effective discussions as those that are sustained and are focused on topics related to class learning goals. We then describe the specifications for an electronic discussion forum - a computer-mediated anchored discussion forum - that we propose makes sustained on-topic discussion more likely. We report on the results of two studies that support this proposal. We end by exploring implications for research into computer-supported discussion tools for learning and their design.


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Participatory Simulations: Building Collaborative Understanding Through Immersive Dynamic Modeling

Vanessa Colella

This article explores a new way to help people understand complex, dynamic systems. Participatory simulations plunge learners into life-sized, computer-supported simulations, creating new paths to scientific understanding. By wearing small, communicating computers called Thinking Tags, students are transformed into playersin a large-scale microworld. Like classic microworlds, participatory simulations create a scenario, mediated by a set of underlying rules, that enables inquiry and experimentation. In addition, these new activities allow students to "dive into" a learning environment and directly engage with the complex system at hand. This article describes and analyzes a set of participatory simulations that were conducted with a group of high school biology students. The students' experiences are tracked from their initial encounter with an immersive simulation through their exploration of the system and final description of its underlying rules. The article explores the educational potential of participatory simulations. The results of this pilot study suggest an opportunity to further investigate the role that personal experience can play in developing inquiry skill and scientific understanding.


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