Team 4's Shared Theory of CSCL

Links
Group members
Group Wiki
Bibliography jMAP
Click for explanation of Access to Resources Click for explanation of Learning Style of Group Members Click for explanation of Internal Reflection on Group Process Click for explanation of Shared Vision and Goals Click for explanation of Positive Interdependece Click for explanation of Individual Accountability Click for explanation of Effective Planning Click for explanation of United Team Spirit Click for explanation of Agreed on Team Protocols Click for explanation of Culture of Openness Click for explanation of Quality of Communication Click for explanation of Interpersonal Small Group Skills Click for explanation of Learner Motivation Click for explanation of Team Dynamism Click for explanation of Level of Learning Achieved strength=2 strength=3 strength=3 strength=2 strength=2 strength=3 strength=3 strength=2 strength=2 strength=2 strength=2 strength=2 strength=3 strength=3 3 strength=2

Introduction

This website is the result of the collaborative efforts of five graduate students who are students in the Instructional Systems program at Florida State University. This page is the final product of a semester-long study of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL).

Navigating our Theory
Please navigate our site using the image map at the top of this page. This causal map represents our group's shared theory of CSCL.

Factors of CSCL
Each box in the map represents a factor of CSCL. Clicking on a factor will take you to a page which will explain the following:
  • A definition of the factor
  • Empirical evidence (with References) of how the factor affects learning
  • Instructional Strategies that may be used to acheive the factor

Links between Factors
The arrows on the map show how the factors work together to eventually lead to the Level of Learning Achieved by using CSCL. Holding your mouse over a link will display the strength of that link's connection. A description of how we decided on the link will be in the factor's page.

Developing our Theory
Our group took the following steps to develop our theory:
  1. Each member in the group created their own causal map to represent their personal theory of CSCL using jMAP.
  2. Using jMAP, one member of the group collated the personal maps into a group map.
  3. The group then worked collaboratively to combine all the theories into a single shared theory. We did this by:
    • Automatically accepting any factor relationship that had a percentage of 60% or higher.
    • For each factor under 60%, we had a discussion to review each factor and its relationship individually. If a team member felt strongly about a particular relationship, that individual had the opportunity to influence the rest of the team to include this relationship on the group map.
  4. Following team agreement regarding which factors and causal links to include, we assigned causal link strengths based on our aggregated team map and the percent of maps with the given link:
    • 80% or higher: Link strength = 3
    • 60% - 80%: Link strength = 2
    • Below 60%: Link Strength = 1
  5. Once the group had decided which factors and relationships to keep, one member of the group used jMAP to create Group 4's Shared Theory of CSCL.