Software-based scaffolding: supporting the development of knowledge building discourse in online courses

Authors:
Nobuko Fujita;Christopher Teplovs
Affiliations:
OISE/University of Toronto, Toronto, ON;OISE/University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Venue:
ICLS '10 Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - Volume 1
Year:
2010

Citing 7
Cited 0

Online Communities: Designing Usability and Supporting Socialbilty

Online Communities: Designing Usability and Supporting Socialbilty
Patterns of female and male students' participation in peer interaction in computer-supported learning

Computers & Education
Analyzing collaborative knowledge construction: multiple methods for integrated understanding

Computers & Education - Documenting collaborative interactions: Issues and approaches
Automating the analysis of collaborative discourse: identifying idea clusters

CSCL'09 Proceedings of the 9th international conference on Computer supported collaborative learning - Volume 2
Tools for concurrent, embedded, and transformative assessment of knowledge building processes and progress

CSCL'07 Proceedings of the 8th iternational conference on Computer supported collaborative learning
Knowledge building in asynchronous discussion groups: Going beyond quantitative analysis

Computers & Education - Methodological issue in researching CSCL
Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America

Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America

Quantified Score

Hi-index	0.00

Visualization

Abstract

This design-based research study investigated instructional scaffolding for knowledge building discourse among participants (n=17, n=20) in two online graduate courses. In particular, designs of software-based scaffolding as found in web-based Knowledge Forum's scaffold support feature were refined. Analyses of the student discourse data suggests that Knowledge Forum's scaffold supports offer a promising avenue for future design innovations to encourage knowledge building discourse. Results show that students increasingly used the scaffolds to focus their reading and writing of notes over iterations of the study. The proportion of scaffolds for knowledge building discourse increased during each iteration with a corresponding decrease in the proportion of scaffolds for expressing an opinion in the second iteration. Finally, notes with scaffolds contained significantly more words than notes without scaffolds, suggesting that scaffolds promoted more student reflectivity. Implications for formative assessment of student learning and knowledge building are discussed.