Has Research on Collaborative Learning Technologies Addressed Massiveness? A Literature Review.

Abstract

Introduction The interest in educational technologies for massive numbers of learners has recently increased because of the impact that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are having in the Media and the Society (Sonwalkar, Wilson, Ng, & Sloep, 2013). This impact is shaping a turning point in educational technologies research as it offers an excellent opportunity for the adoption of previous research achievements while creating new scalability research challenges for massive teaching, learning and assessment models (Kay, Reimann, Diebold, & Kummerfeld, 2013). Aligned with existing research evidences, MOOC initiatives recognize the importance of social interaction among learners. Many of them incorporate activities based on discussions and peer-review assessments (Tsai & Wong, 2013). The potential for different pedagogies and collaborative learning methodologies in massive class teaching is prospective and highly concerned. Yet, we envision that this potential is still in its infancy though undoubtedly relevant open discussions and peer-assessments are the main two examples of collaborative learning techniques with current practice in massive courses (Kay et al., 2013; Sonwalkar et al., 2013; Tsai & Wong 2013). Collaborative learning techniques support the construction of joint knowledge and sharing of meanings by means of fostering potentially effective social interactions (Dillenbourg, 1999). Accumulated research in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) has proposed and evaluated multiple models and implementation tools that engage learners in knowledge-intensive social interactions (debate, conflict resolution, artifact co-design, mutual explanation, etc.) with identified significant learning outcomes (Dillenbourg, 1999; Stahl, Koschmann & Suthers, 2006). These models involve the application of collaboration-triggering mechanisms such as group formation according to specific policies, role allocation and rotation, distribution of knowledge, etc. and the use of diverse collaboration spaces (shared boards, wikis, etc.) and implementing communication and coordination mechanisms (flow control, group awareness, etc.). However, the standout body of CSCL research is mostly known for its contributions focused on supporting small groups of learners (Stahl, Law, & Hesse, 2013). And the research around scalable collaborative learning approaches, technologies and issues for large classrooms or large learning communities is scattered across scientific publications without explicitly embracing a comprehensive visible body of knowledge. This paper contributes with a systematic literature review (Kitchenham, 2004; Webster & Watson, 2002) synthesizing a framework that explains existing insights and gaps in the context of applying collaborative learning aimed at massive or large groups. This framework will serve as a foundation for advancing knowledge and uncovered areas (Webster & Watson, 2002) where further research in above aspects could be conducted accordingly. Hence, the rationale for the paper is not to identify CSCL as a branch of MOOCs providing collaboration aspects, but to understand to what extent previous research in CSCL has involved in the design or/and use of technologies suitable to support massive or large-scale participation. The ultimate aim is to characterize which technologies and approaches could be potentially used in MOOCs (or, more generally, in massive learning actions) to support collaboration-because its use with relatively large learner communities has been proved and studied. As a secondary aim, the paper also discusses challenges and promising avenues emerging from the literature review. Therefore, a first aim of the analysis is identifying the context types for research works that have considered arguably (or potentially) massive/large quantities of learners in the concerned technology-supported collaborative learning scenarios. …