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'''Computer-supported collaborative learning''' (CSCL) is a research topic on supporting [[collaborative learning]] with the help of computers. It is related to [[Computer Supported Cooperative Work]] ([[CSCW]]). CSCL cuts across research in psychology, computer science, and education.
CSCL supportsis anda facilitatesmajor groupmethod processesfor andbringing groupthe dynamicsbenefits inof wayscollaboration thatand arecooperative notlearning achievable by face-to-face, but they are not designed to replace face-to-face [[communication]]. This typeusers of [[distance learning]] isvia typicallynetworked tailoredcomputers, forsuch useas bythe multiple learnerscourses workingoffered atvia the same workstation or across networked machines, working synchronously or asynchronouslyInternet. The purpose of CSCL is to scaffold or support students in learning together effectively. ThisCSCL systemsupports canthe supportcommunication communicatingof ideas and information among learners, collaborative accessing of information and documents, and providinginstructor and peer feedback on problem-solvinglearning activities. CSCL also supports and facilitates group processes and group dynamics in ways that are not achievable by face-to-face communication (such as having learners label aspects of their communication).
The most resilient features of the evolving field of CSCL include an emphasis on collaborative aspects of learning as well as individual ones, an identification of social interactions as an important element of knowledge construction, a focus on the learner(s) and their activities, a shift towards technological environments that promote authentic group learning, and finally, an increasing role for all technological artefacts that form a global network. PeopleInstructional promotingdesigns employing CSCL generally target the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills, [[problem solving]] abilities, epistemic fluency and the collaborative improvement of knowledge within a field of practice. ThisThese learning goals demandsrequire the analysis of processes (rather than just products) within complex and authentic contexts.
Due to the surge of distance learning via the Internet, including courses that employ CSCL, it is important that educators and instructional designers better understand the benefits and limitations of CSCL. Like many educational activities, it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of CSCL activities. Early efforts focused on suspected detrimental effects of communication filtering of computer mediated communication (CMC) and ignored the potential benefits of CMC. Historically, the lack of evidence that technological innovations have improved learning in formal education highhights the need for evidence of whether, how and when expected improvements in learning take place.
CSCL is much more ambitious than previous approaches of ICT-support in education. It is therefore more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of CSCL activities. Nonetheless, all actors involved in ‘e-learning’, and more specifically in CSCL processes, – from policy makers to everyday practitioners – need to have evidence of whether, how and when expected improvements in learning take place. Significant effort is required to provide systematic evaluation of innovative projects, the specific experiences within an action/research framework, the new CSCL systems developed, and so on.
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== See also ==
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