Learning about online communities and cyberspace human-computer interaction

LTSN 2002, Loughborough

Peter ChalkLondon Metropolitan University

Content

Community of learningCyberspace HCIVLE supportContinuous assessmentVLE features & usability (cf Faulkner)EvaluationConclusions

Community of learning

‘Apprenticeship’ based Wenger, E (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning,

Meaning and Identity, Cambridge University Press: mutual engagement (communication)shared repertoire (tools & techniques)joint enterprise (meaningful negotiation )

"discovering how to engage... developing mutual relationships... struggling to define the enterprise... developing their repertoire... adopting tools... recording and recalling events” (Wenger) [cf Preece “shared purpose.. Mediate social interaction”]

VLE support - the medium is the message

Communication & noticeboardLearning object supportPresentation & storageOrganisationRecord managementOn-line assessmentTracking

VLE features

Group presentation area

Tracking the virtual student

Continuous assessment

Tracking flexible attendanceWeekly assessed exercises (& recording)Assignments (& plagiarism)Multiple choice quizzes (regular, random)Missed assignments (& technical bugs)Tracking communication, documents &

group work

Weekly assessed exercises (HCI examples)

Research a topic, record URL in VLE home page, post summary [tutor record]

Do exercise, submit as assignment [practice]Document group work in presentation areaOrganise meeting using the calendarPost group plan using private discussion topicChat about the user interface design Integrate into your subject

aims/pedagogy/assessment strategy

Learning Path Assessment (s=student; t=tutor; ww=webworld; d=diagram; c=comment; l=link; sa=store; r=read; 3/4=date)

s

d1

t

c1

d1a

s 3/4

sa 7/4

r 5/4

r 9/4

sa 11/4

ww

l 3/4, 11/4

Evaluating (& assessing?) virtual scaffolded learning paths

Remarks along the learning path:recruitment: ‘interpret spec’ [here, program design]manageable: ‘assume re-used code correct’direction: ‘Does JSP design compare to code structure?’critical features: ‘where does the state of the object get changed inside this design?’frustration: ‘choose design A, no need to refine again’demonstration: ‘look at this example of iteration’

Wood, D, Bruner, J S & Ross, G (1976) ‘The role of tutoring in problem solving’, J. of Psych & Psychia 17.

VLE features

Communication, e.g. whiteboard/chatPresentation, e.g. home page & groupOrganisation, e.g. calendarAssessment, e.g. MCQ & essay/programPublic/ private, e.g. presentation areaGroup/ individual, e.g. discussion topicSynchronous/ asynchronous, e.g. diagram

Student home page

Asynchronous discussion forum

Identifying a learning path

Chatting in the drawing room...

Evaluation

Surveygenerally positiveusing VLE tool

Recorded discussiongrounded analysiscoding +/- comments

Student commentsopen questions, positive response

Some survey results

6 I find WebCT helpful for working with tools like the JavaScript Tutor.

AGREE 19 STRONGLY AGREE 7 (84%)

8 I find the WebCT discussion forum helpful for keeping me informed of important issues.

AGREE 13 STRONGLY AGREE 8 (68%)

9 I find the WebCT email facility helpful for communicating.

AGREE 13 NOT SURE 9

12 Using WebCT on-line assignment submission is a good idea.

AGREE 14 STRONGLY AGREE 12 (84%)

13 Using WebCT on-line assignment submission is a good example of the future direction of education.

AGREE 15 STRONGLY AGREE 10 (81%)

Example from the chat room

Scripting: LD>>I think we may be allowed to use flash script

to do the programming LD>>rather than javascript DT>>ok that's good DT>>that's more of HCI LD>>i do not know how to write scripts using flash

script ... LD>>yeah UB and N are experts at flash script DT>>he got 90 right? DT>>ok that nice to hear

Negotiating meaning… a learning path?

LD>>ok here is the format of the feedback form

UB>>thats a big bug in the program... LD>>the user should be able to select only one check box for each question though

UB>>then they should be radio buttons then LD>>i will send u a text file of what it should look like give me a minute

UB>>cool

Student comments

‘WebCT has helped me get around the module as I seem to know where I am going and therefore am not following links that are I am not interested in’.

'This module fills in the gaps left by other modules in the course, with respect to the interface between the user and the programs they are running. I wish this module or a prerequisite of it, was an option for the first year'.

‘First time users of WebCT will find it confusing... However, once the user is familiar with the layout and is use [sic] to the web site, it is very informative and useful as well as being a useful way to learn about human computer interaction’.

Student activity metrics

Semester 00/01B

01/02A 01/02B

Registered students(approx.)

100 165 98

'Active' students (didall assignments)

58 130 71

Discussion messagestotal

212 446 564

Average messagesper active student

3.65 3.43 7.94 *

Average number ofAEs completed perweek

n/a 60 48

Proportion of studentscompleting AEs perweek, %

n/a 46% 67% **

Proportion completingAEs in log

n/a n/a 65.5%

Proportion completingWebCT AEs

n/a n/a 69.9%

Number of studentsproducing WebCThome pages

10 111 81

Proportion ofregistered studentswith home pages

10% 67%***

83%

Notes* message posting became part of assessed exercises (AEs)** introduction of WebCT-based exercises*** home page production became an AE (in week 1)n/a data not (readily) available

Conclusions

Engagement:VLE for communication, monitoring & recording

Repertoire:VLE as container for learning objects & to support strategies

Enterprise:Exercises & assignments can support & direct

Apprenticeship into community requires continuous support & assessment

References

Faulkner, X. Usability Engineering. Macmillan, 2000.

Preece, J. Online communities: designing usability and supporting sociability. Wiley, 2000.

Wenger, E., Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge University Press(1998).