March 17, 2004

Hans Spada, University of Freiburg, Germany

Instructional Support for Promoting Computer-Mediated Collaboration

Abstract

Computer-mediated collaboration among spatially distributed people is a precondition for success in many new learning and working contexts. However, the success of solving tasks and learning collaboratively in such settings is not easy to achieve. The central goal of a research project, financially supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG), is to develop instructional support measures for computer-mediated collaboration. A setting and task with practical relevance and realistic complexity are investigated in this project: the interdisciplinary collaboration of medical doctors and psychologists on the treatment of psychiatric cases. The results of this research concern three aspects and are potentially transferable to other content domains.

1. Characteristics of a successful computer-mediated interdisciplinary collaboration on three levels: coordination of work, communication, and task specific problem solving process.
   
2. Efficient instructional approaches of two types: model learning - providing an elaborated worked-out example of a good collaboration, script-learning - guiding learners step by step through their collaboration on a first task.
   
3. Quantitative, semi-quantitative and qualitative assessment methods for a detailed analysis of  collaborative process and outcome.

The project is run in collaboration with Nikol Rummel and Franz Caspar.

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