Computers & Education - Documenting collaborative interactions: Issues and approaches
A Computer-Based Clinical Teaching-Case System with Emulation of Time Sequence for Medical Education
IEICE - Transactions on Information and Systems
When to jump in: The role of the instructor in online discussion forums
Computers & Education
Coercing shared knowledge in collaborative learning environments
Computers in Human Behavior
The role of academic motivation in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
Computers in Human Behavior
Content analysis: What are they talking about?
Computers & Education - Methodological issue in researching CSCL
Content analysis schemes to analyze transcripts of online asynchronous discussion groups: A review
Computers & Education - Methodological issue in researching CSCL
Knowledge building in asynchronous discussion groups: Going beyond quantitative analysis
Computers & Education - Methodological issue in researching CSCL
Computer support for knowledge construction in collaborative learning environments
Computers in Human Behavior
Motivation in online learning: Testing a model of self-determination theory
Computers in Human Behavior
Design exemplars for synchronous e-learning: A design theory approach
Computers & Education
Design exemplars for synchronous e-learning: A design theory approach
Computers & Education
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Recent findings from research into Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) have indicated that not all learners are able to successfully learn in online collaborative settings. Given that most online settings are characterised by minimal guidance, which require learners to be more autonomous and self-directed, CSCL may provide conditions more conducive to learners comfortable with greater autonomy. Using quasi-experimental research, this paper examines the impact of a redesign of an authentic CSCL environment, based upon principles of Problem-Based Learning, which aimed to provide a more explicit scaffolding of the learning phases for students. It was hypothesised that learners in a redesigned 'Optima' environment would reach higher levels of knowledge construction due to clearer scaffolding. Furthermore, it was expected that the redesign would produce a more equal spread in contributions to discourse for learners with different motivational profiles. In a quasi-experimental setting, 143 participants collaborated in an online setting aimed at enhancing their understanding of economics. Using a multi-method approach (Content Analysis, Social Network Analysis, measurement of Academic Motivation), the research results reveal the redesign triggered more equal levels of activity of autonomous and control-oriented learners, but also a decrease in input from the autonomous learners. The main conclusion from this study is that getting the balance between guidance and support right to facilitate both autonomous and control-oriented learners is a delicate complex issue.