A Dutch policy scientist once said the information and knowledge in the twenty-first century has the shelf life of fresh fish, and learning in this age often means learning where and how to find something and how to relate it to a specific situation instead of knowing everything one needs to know. On top of this, the world has become so highly interconnected that we have come to realise that every decision that we make can have repercussions somewhere else. To touch as many bases as possible, we need to work with knowledgeable others from different fields (multiple agents) and take heed of their points of view (multiple representations). To do this, we make increasing use of computers and computer-mediated communication. If computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is not simply a newly discovered hype in education, what is it and why are we writing a book about it? Dissecting the phrase into its constituent parts, we see that first of all CSCL is about learning, and in the twenty-first century this usually means constructivist learning.

"It is certain that this book will become a clear reference book in the scientific community."
*(Prof. A. Dimitracopoulou)
*"This book should prove an invaluable resource to researchers, research students and practitioners in CSCL and in the learning sciences more widely. It is also a very timely resource given the increasing amount of activity and interest in e-learning within higher education. The clear focus on learning and pedagogy, not just technology, is a key strength of the book."
*(Dr. C. O'Malley)*

Klappentext

This book is the first that presents an overview of the main topics involved in the study and implementation of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) from a learning viewpoint. It is also one of the few - or the only one - that does this from a research and practical instructional design perspective. Too many books begin with the medium and/or the environments used for CSCL, as if you would write a book on building a house by focusing almost primarily on hammers, saws and screwdrivers. The main topics are clustered in four sections that are derived from reverse ordering the CSCL acronym, because CSCL is all about learning through collaboration that is supported by computers. Although CSCL is increasingly advocated in higher education, specific CSCL implementations - i.e. something more than providing technology without a well developed educational rationale - are uncommon in higher education. The topics covered in this book, each including a review and several examples of current best practices in higher education, can stimulate 'informed' implementation of CSCL in higher education.

Inhalt
It is All About Learning!.- CSCL in Higher Education?.- Practices and Orientations of CSCL.- Learning, Collaboration and Assessment.- Building Collaborative Knowing.- Learning, Assessment and Collaboration in Computer-Supported Environments.- What do you Mean by'Support'?.- Instructional Support in CSCL.- Computer Software Support for CSCL.- Human Support in CSCL.- Technology and Interaction.- CSCL-Ware in Practice.- Designing Sociable CSCL Environments.- Conclusion.- What We Know About CSCL.