A Review of Papers that have a bearing on an Analysis of User Interactions in A Collaborative On-line Laboratory

TL;DR

This paper reviews existing research in HCI, CSCW, and CSCL to inform the development of a collaborative online laboratory for educational purposes, aiming to create a guiding framework for such systems.

Contribution

It synthesizes prior studies to develop a methodology for designing and evaluating collaborative online learning environments based on HCI and educational theories.

Findings

Analysis of review papers informs system design

Framework for collaborative learning system development

Evaluation plan for online laboratory efficacy

Abstract

A number of papers have been reviewed in the areas of HCI, CSCW, CSCL. These have been analyzed with a view to extract the ideas relevant to a consideration of user interactions in a collaborative on line laboratory which is being under development for use in the ITO BSc course at Southampton University. The construction of new theoretical models is to be based upon principles of collaborative HCI design and constructivist and situational educational theory. An investigation of the review papers it is hoped will lead towards a methodology/framework that can be used as guidance for collaborative learning systems and these will need to be developed alongside the requirements as they change during the development cycles. The primary outcome will be the analysis and re-design of the online e-learning laboratory together with a measure of its efficacy in the learning process.