KOLUMBUS: Context-oriented communication

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KOLUMBUS: Context-oriented communication support in a collaborative learning environment

Thomas Herrmann; Andrea Kienle Informatics and Society University of Dortmund Germany slide 1/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Overview 1. The process of collaborative learning 2. Requirements for context-oriented communication support 3. Features of KOLUMBUS 4. Experience with KOLUMBUS

slide 2/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Collaborative Learning Process teacher

preparing describing a task providing material

group of students

student

working with own material

working with the material of others

elaborating the text

beeing aware of others

editing

copying

adding other recipients

annotating

searching

collaborating insufficient acceptance

discussing beeing aware of others

negotiating

Information sources

voting proposing

collaborative learning environment slide 3/16

Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Context-oriented model of com munication • Focuses on how mutual understanding can succeed in dialogues A conveying activity developing an idea (what)

B

role changing select an appropriate phrase (how)

expression

receiving activity create a transform mental into an repres impression entation

context situation ƒ Context gives hints about how explicit an physical expression cultural/geografic constellation should be knowledge about each other ƒ By relating the expression to the context it is easier for the expressions already uttered recipient to find out what is meant extra-communicative behaviour slide 4/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Requirements for CLE • The context-oriented model requires for CLE ƒ Integration of context information and communicative contributions ƒ Individual and flexible presentation of content (e.g. links, hide & show) ƒ Awareness features

• The process of collaborative learning requires ƒ Support of various phases of the learning process • Individual learning • Joint learning • Mutual agreement on a joint result

• Learning environments have to support ƒ Material storage AND communication platform ƒ Individual AND joint learning (incl. agreement) slide 5/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Conception of KOLU M B US ƒ Web-based, only webbrowser necessary ƒ Easy upload of material (as context information) ƒ Distinction between individual work and the results of a teamwork: intertwining perspectives

working with own material

working with the material of others

collaborating

ƒ Annotations on the available material (as communicative contributions) ƒ Joint results through negotiations slide 6/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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K OLU M B US: Overview Navigation: path

General features: chat, glossary, search, help

Navigation: top item

Awareness: new item

Hierarchical structure of items

Navigation: expand or minimize whole tree

menu, available at every triangle

Awareness: information about the item slide 7/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Insertion of materialin KOLU M B US

• Consisting of many single items • Various ways to insert material ƒ Web-form ƒ XML, using a predefined DTD ƒ Word-document using the KOLUMBUS Word – Template

• Various filetypes like text, pictures, binary • Support of a column-styled layout • Paperview for a layout-copy representation slide 8/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Perspectives in KOLU M B US • Items in the system are marked by ƒ Authors • Take responsibility for their content • Set the group of recipients • Are allowed to modify their items

ƒ Recipients • Read the content (for which they have read permissions) • Can become authors

slide 9/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Annotations in KOLU M B US Treeview

Paperview slide 10/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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negotiation - motivation • For the result of a joint work the team should ƒ Take over responsibility in its entirety (having authorstatus) ƒ Agree on the set of recipients

• Problem: How to determine the authors respective the recipients of a document in a larger group? • A possible solution: support of votings in negotiation processes slide 11/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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negotiations – an example author Alice

Bob

Chris ...

propose authors

Negotiations support the cooperation in the system and are necessary for achieving a consensus respective for the finding of common results.

vote

KOLUMBUS Items about sails

negotiation

evaluate

x

slide 12/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Set rights

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Experience with KOLU M B U S: material • Evaluation scenarios ƒ Mandatory seminar for computer science students ƒ Experiment regarding negotiations in workgroups

• Usage of material + Word-Template for insertion of material + Archive with material of previous seminares - No pre-given content structure - Right-conception for controlling other´s attention - Missing export function

slide 13/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Experience with KOLU M B U S: com m unication • Support of communication + Less explanation by selection of a position + Discursive exchange - Missing functionality for bringing together discussion thread - Perception of (new) communication contributions

• Support of negotiation + Achievement of joint results - No overview about ongoing negotations - No transparency about other‘s votes

• Missing facilitator (desired: accompanying of the process)

slide 14/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

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Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Su m mary • KOLUMBUS ƒ Individual and joint learning ƒ Supports joint work towards common results ƒ Material storage and communication support

• Experience ƒ Proves the concept of integration of material and communication ƒ Shows opportunities for further improvement

• Further research ƒ Distinction between communicative contributions and stored materials in collaborative learning environments ƒ Managing processes and transparency regarding these processes ƒ Support for the facilitator’s tasks slide 15/16

Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft

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Thanks for your attention!

slide 16/16 Thomas Herrmann & Andrea Kienle

23.07.2002

Informatik & Gesellschaft