Search for: All records

A key promise of adaptive collaborative learning support is the ability to improve learning outcomes by providing individual students with the help they need to collaborate more effectively. These systems have focused on a single platform. However, recent technology-supported collaborative learning platforms allow students to collaborate in different contexts: computer-supported classroom environments, network based online learning environments, or virtual learning environments with pedagogical agents. Our goal is to better understand how students participate in collaborative behaviors across platforms, focusing on a specific type of collaboration - help-giving. We conducted a classroom study (N = 20) to understand how students engage in help-giving across two platforms: an interactive digital learning environment and an online Q&A community. The results indicate that help-giving behavior across the two platforms is mostly influenced by the context rather than by individual differences. We discuss the implications of the results and suggest design recommendations for developing an adaptive collaborative learning support system that promotes learning and transfer.