Research at the Open University of Catalonia on Online Collaborative Learning Fatos Xhafa Polytechnic University of Catalonia & Open University of Catalonia Barcelona, Spain VMT Workshop 2004

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Outline The research group at the Open University of Catalonia Main research lines Recent publications Software Collaboration with VMT Project

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Outline The research group at the Open University of Catalonia Main research lines Recent publications Software Collaboration with VMT Project

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA The research group at the Open University of Catalonia The research group is part of the Department of Information Sciences Members of the group - Thanasis Daradoumis, PhD in Computer Science from Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain), Head of the group - Fatos Xhafa, PhD in Computer Science, from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Joan M. Marquès Puig, PhD in Computer Science, from Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Santi Caballé Llobet, Junior researcher (since 2002) - Alejandro Juan Perez, Collaborator (since 2003)

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Outline The research group at the Open University of Catalonia Main research lines Recent publications Software Collaboration with VMT Project

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Main research lines Study and Evaluation of Collaborative Learning Issues in a Virtual Groupware Environment. Design and Implementations of Distributed Applications for CSCL.

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Study and Evaluation of Collaborative Learning Issues in a Virtual Groupware Environment To study the behavior of Online Collaborative Learning Groups - how this influences the learning outcomes of the group as a whole and of the individual group members. To study the performance of Online Collaborative Learning Groups - how this can help in specifying a categorization of Online Collaborative Learning Groups according to their learning outcomes. To develop sound and effective criteria for evaluating the students’ outcome of collaborative learning activities. - A set of criteria on different aspects such as group functioning, task performance etc.

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Study and Evaluation of Collaborative Learning Issues in a Virtual Groupware Environment The research in this line aims at: - Identifying factors which contribute to and influence the success or failure of online collaborative learning teams - Designing experiments and gathering data from real situations of online collaborative learning teams that involve a considerable number of students, groupware spaces and tutors - Carrying out statistical and data mining analysis of the log data of the group space as well as data gathered from questionnaires

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Study and Evaluation of Collaborative Learning Issues in a Virtual Groupware Environment What we expect from the results in this line: - A correct design of the groupware environment - The elaboration of adequate learning activities which can lead us to obtain the best learning results at both group and individual level - Provide tutors with tools and criteria that allow them to carry out a better evaluation of students’ outcome of the proposed learning activities - Provide tutors with mechanisms to monitor and support the group workspace more appropriately. - Facilitate enriched awareness information to group members.

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Design and Implementations of Distributed Applications for CSCL This line of research is being counducted at the same time with the previous research line The research in this line aims at: - how to design distributed applications that give full support to collaborative learning activities. - how a groupware should be designed in order to achieve a successful and operative groupware system (the outcome of the online collaborative teams depends to a great extent on the groupware system used). - how to provide the CSCL applications with an efficient implementation of the awareness information as well as statistical tools to be used by online learning teams and by the tutor. - to what extent specific architectures/platforms can be used, other than the classical Client/Server, such as Grid and Peer-to-Peer, for developing CSCL applications.

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Design and Implementations of Distributed Applications for CSCL What we expect from the results in this line: - A better understanding of issues related to the design and development of distributed applications for CSCL - Clues on how to increase the power of such applications through Grid and P2P infrastructures - Design of a generic platform, based on the generic programming paradigm, for CSCL applications - Particularisation of the CSCL pltaform for specific CSCL applications (e.g., for Project Based Learning)

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Outline The research group at the Open University of Catalonia Main research lines Recent publications Software Collaboration with VMT Project

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Recent publications Th. Daradoumis, F. Xhafa and J.M. Marqués: Evaluating Collaborative Learning Practices in a Virtual Groupware Environment Computers and Advanced Technology in Education, ISSN: , Vol. I, , ACTA Press (Proc. of CATE’03, Rhodes, Greece) Th. Daradoumis, F. Xhafa and J.M. Marqués: Exploring Interaction Behaviour and Performance of Online Collaborative Learning Teams, Proceedings of CRIWG 2003, Grenoble, France Th. Daradoumis, F. Xhafa: Problems and Opportunities of Learning together in a Virtual Learning Environment (Chapter 11) Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in Higher Education (Tim Roberts ed.), 2004, Idea Group Pub.

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Recent publications Santi Caballé i Fatos Xhafa: A Study into the Feasibility of Generic Programming for the Construction of Complex Software. Generative and Component-based Software Engineering Young Researchers Workshop 2003 (Part of the Second International Symposium on Generative and Component-based Software Engineering, Erfurt, Germany) S. Caballé, F. Xhafa, Th. Daradoumis and J.M. Marquès: Towards a Generic Platform for Developing CSCL Applications Using Grid Infrastructure. In CLAG'04 (International Workshop on Collaborative Learning Applications of Grid Technology). Held in conjunction with the 4th IEEE/ACM InternatIonal Symposium on Cluster Computing and the Grid (CCGrid 2004) April , Chicago, USA

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Outline The research group at the Open University of Catalonia Main research lines Recent publications Software Collaboration with VMT Project

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Software Web based application for processing log files of BSCW system A generic purpose library for CSCL Web based application for managing questionnaires and group reports

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Outline The research group at the Open University of Catalonia Main research lines Recent publications Software Collaboration with VMT Project

June 9 – 11, 2004 VMT Workshop, Drexel, Philadelphia, USA Collaboration with VMT Project Provide knowledge and support to issues related to: Group formation Design of learning exercices Quantitative analysis and interpretation of interaction logs. Design of technology to facilitate and support effective collaborative learning. Construct collaborative learning environments using a generic platform.