A System for developing Communication Spaces for a www Learning Environment

Objective

Research objectives and content

During the last decade computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has gained steadily growing interest. However, an applicable general system is not available yet. Two important and typical approaches of Hoppe (teacher centred communication formalised by predicate logic) and Okamoto (communication in peer groups) will be taken up, combined, and further developed. Combining different kinds of relations between pupils' utterances (Okamoto), the mathematical formalisation by Hoppe, which will be reformulated using relations, and a relational model for hypertext structures (Albert, Hockemeyer, and Held) will result in a mathematical model and a software prototype for a communication system. This system models the group communication as a dynamically changing hypertext which is constantly adapting to the state of the discussion, the knowledge of the individual users and their interests, as well as to the current goals of the whole group or of subgroups. This highly adaptive system will be realised by mapping the relational hypertext structures into a relational database.

Training content (objective, benefit and expected impact)

During the project, the applicant will gain new knowledge in the following fields:
.Becoming insight into models and theories of collaborative learning
.Developing mathematical models
.Defining and implementing communication protocols

Links with industry / industrial relevance (22)

Programme(s)

• FP4-TMR - Specific research and technological development programme in the field of the training and mobility of researchers, 1994-1998

Topic(s)

• 0302 - Post-doctoral research training grants

Funding Scheme

Coordinator