Towards socially shared regulation within CSCL scripts: mirroring group participation in PyramidApp

Abstract

Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) has been shown to enhance learning by promoting peer interactions. With the support of collaborative learning flow patterns (CLFP), the collaboration process within the socalled CSCL macro-scripts can be further structured and constrained. However, social dynamics within tasks, even within scripts, have the potential to hinder the collaborative element as students might not participate sufficiently in conversations. To determine if participation in discussions between students was balanced within a CSCL script we analysed data from an implementation of the Pyramid CLFP. The data showed that student participation varied across different groups, with some groups and students not initiating conversation between them. Socially shared regulation is a social form of regulation where students regulate their learning as a group rather than as individuals through the means of discussion, negotiation, and perspective taking. As research has shown that for collaborative learning to be successful students need to engage in fruitful discussions and support each other to regulate their learning, we propose the implementation of a social awareness feature mirroring group participation through learning analytics in a CLFP tool (PyramidApp) to promote socially shared regulated learning.