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Authority and convergence in collaborative learning

Published: 01 December 2003 Publication History

Abstract

Teachers and students have established social roles, norms and conventions when they encounter Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) systems in the classroom. Authority, a major force in the classroom, gives certain people, objects, representations or ideas the power to affect thought and behavior and influences communication and interaction. Effective computer-supported collaborative learning requires students and teachers to change how they understand and assign authority. This paper describes two studies in which students' ideas about authority led them to converge on what they viewed as authoritative representations and styles of representation too early, and the early convergence then hindered their learning. It also describes a third study that illustrates how changes to the CSCL system CAROUSEL (Collaborative Algorithm Representations Of Undergraduates for Self-Enhanced Learning) improved this situation, encouraging students to create representations that were unique, had different styles and emphasized different aspects of algorithms. Based on this research, methods to help students avoid premature convergence during collaborative learning are suggested.

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  1. Authority and convergence in collaborative learning

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    cover image Computers & Education
    Computers & Education  Volume 41, Issue 4
    Documenting collaborative interactions: Issues and approaches
    December 2003
    110 pages

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    Elsevier Science Ltd.

    United Kingdom

    Publication History

    Published: 01 December 2003

    Author Tags

    1. computer-mediated communication
    2. cooperative/collaborative learning
    3. evaluation methodologies
    4. learning communities
    5. teaching/learning strategies

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