Exploring Collaborative Learning in Rensselaer's Classroom-in-the-Round Robert F. Dugan, Jr. Eric A. Breimer Darren T. Lim Ephraim P. Glinert Mark Goldberg Matthew V. Champagne collaborative learning synchronous groupware assigned roles This paper describes several aspects of our on-going research relating to technologies and techniques for collaborative learning. Our research is focused on the classroom-in-the-round, a CSCW enabled classroom that attempts to promote collaborative learning through novel room design, hardware, software and courseware. Encouraging preliminary feedback from courses we are teaching in the classroom is presented. An in-depth study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of assigned roles on collaboration between pairs of users in a synchronous groupware simulation is then discussed. Statistically significant results show that assigned roles increase team interaction and improve group performance in subsequent unrelated group activities, when compared to a control group. The paper closes with some remarks on promising instructional techniques we are investigating for collaborative learning, including distributed grading, online presentation of team projects, and team-oriented presentation-style exams. Department of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY cs-98-01
Exploring Collaborative Learning in Rensselaer's Classroom-in-the-Round
Robert F. Dugan, Jr.
Eric A. Breimer
Darren T. Lim
Ephraim P. Glinert
Mark Goldberg
Matthew V. Champagne
collaborative learning
synchronous groupware
assigned roles
This paper describes several aspects of our on-going research relating to technologies and techniques for collaborative learning. Our research is focused on the classroom-in-the-round, a CSCW enabled classroom that attempts to promote collaborative learning through novel room design, hardware, software and courseware. Encouraging preliminary feedback from courses we are teaching in the classroom is presented. An in-depth study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of assigned roles on collaboration between pairs of users in a synchronous groupware simulation is then discussed. Statistically significant results show that assigned roles increase team interaction and improve group performance in subsequent unrelated group activities, when compared to a control group. The paper closes with some remarks on promising instructional techniques we are investigating for collaborative learning, including distributed grading, online presentation of team projects, and team-oriented presentation-style exams.
Department of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
cs-98-01