Combining advantages of collaborative and individual learning with an intelligent tutoring system for fractions.

Prof. Dr. Nikol Rummel
(Pädagogische Psychologie und Bildungstechnologie)

Purpose: Classroom instruction often involves both individual and collaborative modes of learning. Yet, relatively little is known about the ways in which these learning modes complement each other, or how best to combine them. The researchers propose to investigate this problem using individual and collaborative learning interventions that each on their own have been shown to be highly effective. First, intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) are a very effective platform for supporting individual learning. Second, there is a substantial body of evidence showing that scripted collaborative learning within a computer-based collaborative environment can lead to robust learning outcomes. Based on the researchers' earlier investigations comparing individual and collaborative learning modes, they hypothesize that collaborative learning is most effective with activities that promote conceptual sense-making, whereas individual learning works best with activities that promote procedural fluency development. The researchers propose to adapt an existing web-based intelligent tutoring system based on the Cognitive Tutor technology. The intervention covers a comprehensive set of topics in fourth and fifth grade fractions learning. Using an iterative design process, the researchers will build on their earlier experimental findings with this tutoring system and adapt it to support a combination of individual and collaborative learning.
Project Activities: A laboratory experiment and two classroom experiments will be conducted to test how to best combine individual learning (that is, individual students solving problems at the computer hypothesized to be ideally suited for acquiring procedural fluency with fractions) with collaborative learning (that is, networked dyads of students working together on solving problems while communicating via chat, hypothesized to be ideally suited for conceptual sense-making). In the project eye-tracking technologies are used to test the hypothesis that eye movements are a direct mediator of the expected interaction between task type (procedural vs conceptual) and collaboration (individual vs collaborative learning).

Schlagwörter:
experimentelle Studie, Eye-tracking, individuelle Lernprozesse, Kooperatives Lernen, künstliche Intelligenz, Lernplattformen