Skip to main content
Log in

WWW-Based Environments for Collaborative Group Work

  • Published:
Education and Information Technologies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Since 1994, we have been involved in the design and use of a series of WWW-based environments to support collaborative group work for students in a technical university in The Netherlands. These environments, and the course re-design that accompanies each new environment, began in April 1994 and continue to the present (March 1998). What are the major issues emerging from this stream of experiences? What are the major lessons we have learned about the design and deployment of WWW-based environments to support collaborative learning in project groups in higher education? How has HCI (human-computer interaction) research informed our work? These questions will be addressed in this paper. One conclusion is that HCI research needs to become more focused on supporting HHD (human-human dialogue) than on human- computer interaction in order to better support collaborative learning in higher education. © IFIP, published by Kluwer Academic Publishers

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Aronson, E., Blaney, N., Stephan, C., Sikes, J. and Snapp, M. (1978) The jigsaw classroom. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booth, P. (1989) An introduction to human-computer interaction. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bos, E., Kijkstra, A. and Morgen, C. (1996) Multiple levels of the use of the Web as a learning tool. Paper presented at ED-MEDIA/ED-TELECOM’ 96, Boston, USA.

  • Collis, B. (1994) Collaborative learning and CSCW: Research perspectives for internetworked educational environments. Lessons from learning, R. Lewis and P. Mendelsohn (eds.), North Holland Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 81–104.

  • Collis, B. (1996) Tele-learning in a digital world: The future of distance learning. London: International Thomson Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B. (1997a) Supporting project-based collaborative learning via a WWW environment. Web-based instruction, B. Khan (ed.), Educational Technology Publications, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 213–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B. (1997b) Pedagogical reengineering: A pedagogical approach to course enrichment and redesign with the WWW. Educational Technology Review, 8, 11–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B., Andernach, T. and Van Diepen, N. (1996) The Web as process tool and product environment for group-based work in higher education. Proceedings of WebNet’ 96: World Conference of the Web Society Proceedings, H. Maurer (ed.), Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education, Charlottesville, VA, pp. 109–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B., Andernach, T. and Van Diepen, N. (1997) Web environments for group-based project work in higher education. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 3(2/3), 109–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B. and Breman, J. (1997, February) Information technology education in a cooperative environment. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Educational Communication and Technology (AECT), Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B. and Meeuwsen, E. (1997, 31 January) New approaches to evaluation via the WWW. Presentation at the Seminar 'Tele-Learning at the University of Twente', Enschede, NL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B. and Meeuwsen, E. (1998) Learning to learn in WWW-based environments. Internetbased training, D. French (ed.), Stylus Press, Newark, NJ, (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B. and Smith, C. (1997) Desktop multimedia environments to support collaborative distance learning. Instructional Science, 25, 433–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collis, B. and Verhagen, P. (1996) Scaffolding the development of skills in the design process for educational media through hyperlinked units of learning material (ULMs) Internal report. Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands. [WWW document] URL http://www.edte.utwente.nl/user/ism/Winnips/ eigen.htm

    Google Scholar 

  • GMD (1996) BSCW, Basic Support for Co-operative Work. German National Research Centre for Computer Science, Bonn, Germany. [See WWW document] URL http://bscw.gmd.de/

    Google Scholar 

  • Guzdial, M., Kolodner, C., Hmelo, C., Narayanan, H., Carlson, D., Rappin, N., Hubscher, R., Turns, J. and Newsletter, W. (1996) Computer support for learning through complex problem solving. Communications of the ACM, 39(4), 43–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klemm, W. R. and Snell, J. R. (1996) Enriching computer-mediated group learning by coupling constructivism with collaborative learning. Electronic Journal of Instructional Technology, 1(1) [WWW document] URL http://cwis.usq.edu.au/electpub/e-jist/klemm.htm

  • Moonen, J. (1994) How to do more with less? Interactive multimedia in university education: Designing for change in teaching and learning, K. Beattie, C. McNaught, and S. Wills (eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 155–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • OpenText (1997) Livelink. Livelink is a product of Opentext. Information can be found at: http://www.opentext.com/

  • Shneiderman, B. (1987) Designing the user interface: Strategies for effective human-computer interaction. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slavin, R. (1990) Collaborative learning: Theory, research and practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Veen, J. and Collis, B. (1997, June) Telematics tools to support group projects in higher education. Paper presented at ED-MEDIA/ED-TELECOM’ 97, Calgary, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Veen, J., Collis, B. and Jones, V. (1998) Applying workflow in Web-supported projects. Paper presented at CALISCE’ 98 (Computer-Aided Learning in Scientific Education), Gothenburg, Sweden, June 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Diepen, N. M. and Pouw, C. L. M. (1995) The project based course ‘Applications of Information Technology’: Acquiring knowledge and skills using Internet. Proceedings, Active and productive learning in higher engineering education W. van Woerden and C. Terlouw (eds.), University of Twente, Enschede, NL, pp. 87–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Oort, H. J. and Van Woerden, W. M. (Eds.) (1996) Active and productive learning in higher engineering education: Students as producers vs consumers. Final Document, Seminar of the Curriculum Development Working Group of the European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) Brussels: SEFI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winnips, K. (1998) First-year report: Scaffolding in WWW-based learning environments. Internal report, Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, NL.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Collis, B. WWW-Based Environments for Collaborative Group Work. Education and Information Technologies 3, 231–245 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009697415029

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009697415029

Navigation