Scripts for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Using computers as tools to mediate collaborative learning has had
a profound impact on how we construct and communicate knowledge
today. Computer interfaces have not been genuinely designed,
however, to support collaborative knowledge construction. This
study shows how computer interfaces can be designed based on the
instructional script-approach to facilitate productive interactions
of learners and improve learning outcomes of collaborative
knowledge construction in e-learning scenarios. A social script
aims to support specific interactions of learning partners. An
epistemic script aims to facilitate specific task-related
activities. In a 2×2-design the factors “social cooperation script”
(with vs. without) and “epistemic cooperation script” (with vs.
without) are independently varied. 96 students of Pedagogy are
randomly assigned to the four experimental conditions in learning
groups of three. The epistemic script increases the amount of
specific epistemic activities, and facilitates the joint
application of focused knowledge. Simultaneously, the epistemic
script reduces the frequency of important social modes of
co-construction, such as elicitation. With respect to learning
outcomes, it can be further shown that the epistemic script impedes
individual knowledge acquisition. Epistemic scripts may therefore
be particularly appropriate for the facilitation of joint knowledge
application, where individual knowledge acquisition may be less
important than effective processing of a given problem in groups.
In contrast, however, social cooperation scripts may be more
appropriate for individual knowledge acquisition than group problem
solving. Social scripts facilitate individual knowledge acquisition
as an outcome of collaborative knowledge construction. The results
suggest that cooperation scripts for individual knowledge
acquisition should consider social components.