Abstract
While the field of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is focused primarily on the development of computational artifacts and social interaction, the key research advances in collaborative problem-solving (CPS) domain are associated with competency model development and assessment at scale. Numerous research reports indicate that CPS competency is increasingly important in today’s complex interconnected world, therefore, of increasing interest in teaching and assessing with students. However, learning and assessment design, data analytics, and reporting on CPS competency, specifically in CSCL setting encapsulates multiple opportunities and challenges. This chapter introduces a spectrum of approaches for CPS competency development and scalable assessment to advance the theory and practice of measuring CPS with the focus on recent work at the nonprofits ACT and Educational Testing Service.
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Further Readings
Care, E., & Griffin, P. (2014). Assessment of collaborative problem solving. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 9, 367–388. This paper outlines the process, within the ATC21S project, of moving from the definition of collaborative problem-solving to its assessment. It describes the development of learning progressions, assessment tools, and scoring methods, tested with 4056 adolescents from six countries: Australia, Costa Rica, USA, Finland, the Netherlands, and Singapore.
Care, E., Griffin, P., & Wilson, M. (Eds.). (2017). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills: Research and application. Springer. Following Griffin and Care (2015), this edited volume includes 15 chapters that showcase research and application related to two 21st-century skills, collaborative problem-solving and learning in digital networks. The research reviewed includes data generated from the ACTC21S school trials as well as a case study of preservice teacher education in Finland.
Dingler, C., von Davier, A. A., & Hao, J., (2017). Methodological challenges in measuring collaborative problem-solving skills over time. In E. Salas, W. B. Vessey, L. B. Landon (Eds.), Team dynamics over time (Vol. 18, pp. 51–70). Emerald Publishing. This chapter provides an interdisciplinary survey of recent developments in measurement of teamwork and collaboration in educational contexts. It discusses a range of methods for collecting and analyzing teamwork data and compares five frameworks for measuring collaborative problem-solving over time (from PISA, ATC21S, ETS, ACT, and von Davier & Halpin, 2013). Preliminary results of the assessments developed from these frameworks show innovative task designs, data-mining techniques, and novel applications of stochastic models.
Griffin, P., & Care, E. (Eds.). (2015). Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills. Springer. This edited volume includes 15 chapters on the ATC21S project, providing an overview of the method and framework for assessment, along with considerations for how collaborative tasks are delivered, scored, calibrated, and interpreted. Fieldwork chapters review the project implementation in the participating countries (Australia, Costa Rica, USA, Finland, the Netherlands, and Singapore). The concluding chapters address teaching and policy considerations related to collaborative learning.
Song, Y. (2018). Improving primary students’ collaborative problem solving competency in project-based science learning with productive failure instructional design in a seamless learning environment. Education Technology Research and Development, 66, 979–1008. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-018-9600-3. This article reports an empirical study using mixed research methods to investigate primary students’ collaborative problem-solving competency in project-based learning with versus without productive failure instructional design. Data collection included student products from their coursework, as well as reflections, focus group interviews, and domain pre- and posttests. Results indicated that students in the class with productive failure instructional design showed multiple benefits, suggesting this as a fruitful avenue for further investigation.
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Rosen, Y., Stoeffler, K., Simmering, V., Hao, J., von Davier, A. (2021). Development of Scalable Assessment for Collaborative Problem-Solving. In: Cress, U., Rosé, C., Wise, A.F., Oshima, J. (eds) International Handbook of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Series, vol 19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65291-3_28
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