Mini Symposium

 

“Computer Based Interaction Analysis supporting participants of technology mediated activities”: Achievements and prospects

 

Berlin, 26 November, 2007

 

Organized in the frame of:

Kaleidoscope Symposium 2007: Defining the Scientific Evolution of Technology Enhanced Learning”,  Berlin, 26-27 November, 2007.

 

 

Organizers:

Angelique Dimitracopoulou,  LTEE laboratory, University of the Aegean,- GR,

Agathe Merceron,  University of Applied Sciences (TFH) Berlin , – DE

Judith Schoonenboom,  Universiteit van Amsterdam/Sco-Kohnstamm Instituut - NL

Yannis Dimitriadis, University of Valladolid - SP

 

Scope:

Computer based interaction analysis is an emerging field aiming at supporting the participants in technology mediated activities directly (e.g. offering visualized information for selfregulation purposes) or indirectly (e.g. adapting the environment).

The purpose of the session is firstly to outline the main theoretical concepts, methods and tools that were developed, secondly to discuss on the prospects of the field, and finally to reflect on the integration achieved by the synergy of kaleidoscope NoE scientists, during different joint research activities.

 

Mini-Symposium Structure:

Part A: Achievements (45 min):

Each speaker presents an overview of:

- Concepts constructed

- Tools developed

- Research results

- Additional outputs from the continuation of their work in the wider scientific community.

 

Part B: Prospects (15 min) :

The organizers will discuss their point of view on the prospects of the field (in the specific aspects of their work, as well as more generally [format: panel-like discussion].

 

Part C: Discussion with the audience (15 min)

    Indicative questions-dimensions of discussion:

-          Significance of the research field

-          Aspects of their own work and additional dimensions than those exposed

-          Perspectives of further integration as well as more profound research aspects

 

Symposium Output: The powerpoint presentations can be downloaded:

 

1. Symposium Introduction

 

2. Achievements Part: 2_1_Merceron; 2_2_Schoonenboom; 2_3_Dimitracopoulou; 2_4_Dimitriadis; 2_5_Conclusions

 

3. Prospects Part: 3_1_Merceron; 3_2_Schoonenboom; 3_3_Dimitracopoulou; 3_4_Dimitriadis

 

4. Conclusions-Discussion

 

Symposium Purpose:

Computer based interaction analysis is an emerging field aiming at supporting directly or indirectly the participants in technology mediated activities. The automated analysis of participants’ interactions is taken into account in two main directions that are distinguished but also complementary ones. A first direction is that the system, based on the output of interactions analysis, takes into account the profiles and the cognitive processes of individuals or collaborating groups, in order to adapt the learning environments in their own needs and preferences, or even to provide appropriate messages guiding them. A second direction is to provide directly to the participants information (usually visualized one) based on the automated interaction analysis, so as to selfregulate their decisions, actions and behaviors, supporting them in a level of awareness and metacognition. In the first case, it is the system that makes the decisions, while in the second one the locus of control is on the human actors’ side. Concerning the participants in the technology mediated activities, they can be typically the teachers, moderators and students (in a wide variety of roles in the range of learning situations), or even the members of a scientific network, respecting their various roles.

 

Kaleidoscope NoE was averred a fertile research community, offering an appropriate atmosphere and infrastructure to work on the field, to contribute to it and develop it, according to five dimensions:

¨       Elaborating theoretical work on concepts, methods, research approaches and research directions, on computer based Interaction analysis, supporting participants in technology based learning activities for selfregulatory purposes (‘ICALTS’ & ‘Interaction Analysis’ JEIRP, 2004, 2005)

¨       Focusing on more specific aspects of computer based interaction analysis, especially for collaborative activities, defining common formats on interaction analysis processes, and applying well designed cross-cultural studies {‘CAViCoLAERT, 2006, 2007).

¨       Offering fundamental elaborations on analysis and categorisation of trails produced by the exploration of various kinds of Learning Objects (web based materials, inquiry environments, etc), in the perspective of representation of individual or group cognitive processes (‘TRAILsJEIRP, 2004).

¨       Capitalizing on the scattered experience in storing and analyzing usages of learning systems and producing Design Patterns in order to support designers in the development of personalized learning environments (DPULS JEIRP, 2005)

¨       Developing interaction analysis tools for selfregulation (according to predefined Interaction Analysis significant Indicators), of the members of a scientific network of excellence (‘CCI-Interaction Analysis’ Task, 2006, 2007).

 

The aim of this mini-symposium is firstly to outline the main theoretical concepts, methods and tools that were developed, secondly to discuss on the prospects of the field, and finally to reflect on the achieved integration as well as to identify dimensions and aspects demanding further elaboration.

 

How Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence promoted scientific Integration, in the case of Computer Based Interaction Analysis:  In the field of Interaction Analysis the underlying projects have enriched their work, through two sources of integration’ influences:

 (I) Horizontal Integration: that constitutes a kind of formal and intended integration. The work underlying the above mentioned projects have reached integration through: (a) interdisciplinary composition of Joint Activities (projects) through diverse profiles of research laboratories: some having a more cognitive psychology-oriented background, others computer science, while others having a stronger education background (via researches on learning in specific subject matters areas, such as sciences); (b) work in different range of population: adults, vocational education, students in University, secondary education or even young children and pre-primary education, where different learning phenomena can emerge; (c) study of a variety of technological tools for learning, with similar purposes and different characteristics; (d) scientific activity in different communities of scientific work, as expressed by the SIGs (e.g. CSCL, Inquiry Learning, AIED, Mobile learning) influencing the main theoretical or research questions, or even the category of the tools developed.

(II) Transversal integration: that constitutes a kind of informal integration. The fact that different joint activities work through the years on a similar theme contributes efficiently to the concepts construction, tools developed, research questioning, and perspectives considered, if moreover we take into account that: (a) the specific work outputs (project deliverables, workshops organized, etc) of previous or parallel projects in progress are integrated (b) there are spaces (e.g. SIGs) that favor wider exchanges.

 

 

References:

ICALTS JEIRP: Interaction & Collaboration Analysis' supporting Teachers & Students' Self-regulation (2004) URL: http://www.rhodes.aegean.gr/LTEE/KALEIDOSCOPE-ICALTS

IA JEIRP: Interaction analysis - Supporting participants in technology based learning activities, (2005)  URL: http://www.rhodes.aegean.gr/ltee/kaleidoscope-IA

TRAILs JEIRP: Personalised and Collaborative Trails of Digital and Non-Digital Learning Objects, (2004) URL: http://www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/trails

DPULS JEIRP: Design patterns for recording and analysing usage of learning systems (2005) URL: http://www.noe-kaleidoscope.org/pub/network/communities/jeirp/

CAViCoLA ERT: Computer-based Analysis and Visualization of Collaborative Learning Activities (2006, 2007) URL: http://cavicola.noe-kaleidoscope.org/

CCI-IA Task: Communication and Collaboration infrastructure – Interaction Analysis Task of Kaleidoscope Network of Excellence (2006, 2007) URL: http://ia.noe-kaleidoscope.org