Affiliations: Department of Computer Science, Widener University,
Chester, PA 19013, USA. E-mail: [email protected] | Department of Computer and Information Sciences,
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: This research describes an Intelligent Collaborative Support System
(ICSS) that supports a collaborative effort by analyzing and modifying the
collaborative process dynamically while employing a web-based interface. Based
upon principles rooted in Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW),
Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) and Cooperative Learning (CL), this system
extends the Group Leader paradigm to assist students working together in
collaborative groups. Discussion skills are supported by examination of
sentence openers chosen from a menu, keywords found in free-text sentence
closers, student and group models, and historical database files. Groups are
categorized and guided toward the optimal category of a high-performing
cooperative group with positive interdependence. The use of the dialogue
designated as creative conflict is mediated by an agent to assist in
formulating a constructive discussion, serving as an instructional tool.
Conflicts in the categorization of discussion skills exhibited in the sentence
openers versus the sentence closers are resolved. Implemented in Java, the
Group Leader module interacts with intelligent agents as it guides students
working in groups remotely in the cross-platform environment provided by the
Java Virtual Machine.
Keywords: Collaborative learning, communication skills, CSCL, dynamic classification