Info 110-Human Computer Interaction

Detri 1

Info 110

Human Computer Interaction

Conceptual Design Paper

A Conceptual Design for Supporting the CSCL Community

CSCL Extended to Support Social Networking

Joseph Detri

5 May 2008

Abstract

The goal of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) communityis to enhance learning through collaboration and the use of computers. This paper looks at the CSCL community as a model for collaborative learning via the use of computers. The CSCL community may be transformed to allow for better user engagement and interaction, by utilizing technologies founded by current social networking sites, such as FaceBook and MySpace. As an example, the CSCL community can incorporate search, blogs, and personal pages in order to expand interaction and personal knowledge. Users will be able to supplement their collaborative learning via personalized pages, blogs, and complex searches in the CSCL community.

Background

The CSCL community is a group dedicated to pushing collaborative learning to its limits via the use of computers. The CSCL community releases a publication called the International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (ijCSCL).This journal is one of the key ways the community discusses ideas and research. The CSCL community is small, but is rapidly growing.With the advent of Web 2.0 technologies such as ExtensibleMarkup Language (XML), Really Simple Syndication (RSS), and Asynchronous JavaScript And XML (AJAX), the community is beginning to flourish. While the community harbors collaborative learning it does not support the creation of an individual’s personal profile, like those available through FaceBook or MySpace.These two sites force users to create a user profile in order to utilize the tools and features found within the site;features such as group creation, management, and searching. Both these free services allow users to form groups with similar interests and discuss topics, as well as keep in touch with friends around the globe. These services also promote the expansion of your friend network via groups. For example FaceBook groups users by school or college and harbors the interaction between individuals in a similar group i.e. adding a friend.

By allowing users the ability tocreate a personal profiles and blogs as well as search through the information generated by members within the community we can expand the CSCL community and harbor the creation of groups with similar interests without the need for an instructor or mediator. The CSCL community needs to look at successful social networking sites and assess why they are successful and the factors that contributed to that success. Then utilize this knowledge to promote and expand the CSCL community.

Conceptual Design

Put forth features to extend the current CSCL infrastructure to include support for Social Networking features. The focus would be on incorporating custom user profiles, search, and blogs. These features expand upon the current CSCL infrastructure to give members of the CSCL community more tools by which to collaborate and study together.

User Profiles

When users first join the CSCL community they will be asked to create a user profile consisting of information like name, age, nationality, interests etc. By entering this information it is possible to categorize individuals and allow other users to find individuals with similar interests. For instance an individual is interested in creating websites and he can find others with a similar interest and then form a group which can then collaborate together and discuss topics related to websites. After the user has created his login username and password he/she will then use that information to access his/her individual account thus forward. By creating user profile,user’s information can be indexed and then users can find individuals via a search feature. Social networking sites like FaceBook utilize user profiles exclusively to manage all the individuals within the system. “With six million members [FaceBook], it has become the website for in-the-know college and, more recently, high school students.” (CNN Money)Also by utilizing a profile system similar to FaceBook it could be appealing to an individual because there is little to no learning curve.

User profiles have become the norm amongst the computer savvy, everything from ecommerce websites to social networking groups solicit users for personal information. And then use that information to categorize individuals for advertising or geographical region etc. The personal information provided by users is crucial to the CSCL community in learning a user’s interests, background, and location. This information will provide users with a more personal experience, while catering to the users geographical background, language etc. and thus improve the overall appeal of the CSCL system as a whole.

Groups

Groups consist of individuals with a common interest, class, or college. FaceBook for example uses groups for almost everything; Individuals join groups such as Drexel, Newton High School, or even groups for ballroom dancing. These groups contain members with similar interests in the case of ballroom dancing; or in the case of Drexel and Newton High Schoolindividuals with a similar location. Within the CSCL community groups can be used to define what language an individual speaks, what is the individual’s background, or to put together a group with similar interests. Groups will be open for anyone to join and leave at will. Groups will also be indexed for searching to allow users to find groups with similar interests.By incorporating open groups which users can join and leave at will opens many new doors in the CSCL community. It gives users the tools they need to find people with similar interests, time zones, or even classes without the need for a mediator or instructor to create preset groups.

For example, Edwin is a student at Rutgers University and is studying Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Joseph is a student at Drexel University also studying HCI. Joe creates a group to discuss HCI and its impact on software design. Edwin has questions regarding HCI and is looking to find someone whom he can discuss his class work with. After a quick search he finds Joseph’s group and they collaborate together. Because both curriculums are slightly different both students expand their knowledge.

Blogs

Users should also be able to create and maintain individual blogs. “A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video” (Wikipedia).Blogs offer asynchronous communication between individuals. Blogs are popular in and amongst the web community, they offer an easy means for an individual to share and communicate information and personal experiences. However, for the CSCL community the use of blogs would not be scattered all over the world wide web but, exist in one location to allow CSCL members to search for and read relevant blogs, based on interest or discipline.Currently in order to create a successful blog individuals are required to have some Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) knowledge. The CSCL blog feature should be easy to use, intuitive, and allow users of diverse cultural backgrounds to create and maintain a blog quickly and easily without the need for any web development knowledge.

For example, Edwin is researching CSCL and finds an interesting article by Professor Gerry Stahl. After reading the article and writing a short summary, he posts the summary and a link to the article on his personal blog. A few months later Joseph is tasked with reading the same article, however before reading the article he searches the CSCL database to see if he could find any discussions or information on the topic. The search turns up the summary of the article written by Edwin. After reading the article Joe has some questions and emails Ed to see if they can discuss the article.

Having member profiles indexed allows for the creation of a search feature. This search feature could be used to find individuals based on interest, location, or any other information contained in a user profile.Searching is not limited to user profiles but includes groups and more importantly discussions, and the text created by those groups. Having a good search feature is what separates successful pages and systems from unsuccessful systems. Google for example has become a household name simply because it offers a convenient way to search the internet. While this example may be on a different level, a search feature is imperative to success. In the technological world in which we live in today we have come to expect information at our fingertips, the only way to offer users access to this speed of information retrieval information must be indexed and easily searchable. Software like the Virtual Math Team (VMT) software do not offer any form of search through the chat, forcing the user to read through the entire chat which sometimes exceed one-thousand messages.

Conceptual Design Scenario

Anthony is a new user and wants to join the CSCL community; he navigates to the CSCL community web portal where he is asked to create a username and password as well as fill out a user profile form. Anthony is asked for his first name, last name, primary language, address, email, and other personal information which then becomes part of his user profile. After finishing the registration process, Anthony is eager to join in and learn about how the CSCL community works, and how to use the software supporting the community. He notices the search bar at the top right hand corner of the page he enters “Participating in the CSCL community” he is then directed to chat’s and groups which could aid him in learning how to participate in the community. Users helping users is one of the fundamental goals of CSCL. By finding topics about participating in the community, Anthony has looked for other members with a similar problem and found a group or individuals who could help.

After learning how to participate in the community Anthony learned that he can join groups with similar interests or similar locations. Anthony decides to see if there are any groups from Drexel; again he goes to the search and looks for “Drexel.” He finds dozens of discussion groups ranging from psychology to database design. However, Anthony does not see a group for Human Computer Interaction, so he creates one. The system prompts Anthony for information like group name, time zone, and discussion topics. Shortly after creating the group Anthony notices other users joining his group and then discussion of HCI begins.

Conclusion

By expanding the current CSCL infrastructure and incorporating new features such as User Profiles, Blogs, and Search, the CSCL community should grow exponentially and become easier to use by its members. By incorporating user profiles to manage information about users, and to provide users the tools to find others with similar interests or geographical conditions, the users are able to easily search for another’s knowledge and help. Also by providing the ability for users to seek out and find others with similar interests, the user is encouraged byboth individual learning and the creationof groups to grow and learn together. Blogs provide users a way to document their own personal research and expand the community through discoveries of their own. And lastly by incorporating a search feature, users will be able to quickly and efficiently find groups or other individuals discussing similar topics. Also by incorporating a search feature users can search through past discussions and tie them into their current discussions. By incorporating these features we add much needed functionality to the CSCL community, thus making the community grow and become more efficient. By making the community more efficient we in turn build and expand the minds of the members.

Works Cited

FACEBOOK STARES DOWN SUCCESS. 25 November 2005. 5 May 2008 <