Venue: 8^th International Conference of the Learning Sciences
Utrecht, The Netherlands
http://www.isls.org/icls2008  

Workshop Title
Real-time methods for monitoring, evaluating and scaffolding students' reflective inquiry in computer-supported collaborative learning environments

Workshop Date
Monday, June 23^rd, 2008
Full day workshop (9:00-17:30)
Lunch and coffee breaks are included in the workshop registration fee

Location
Utrecht University

Workshop website
http://edm.gw.utwente.nl

Organizers
Hannie Gijlers, University of Twente (a.h.gijlers@utwente.nl)
Eleni A. Kyza, Cyprus University of Technology (Eleni.Kyza@cut.ac.cy)

Proposers
Ton de Jong (University of Twente)
Wouter van Joolingen (University of Twente)
Constantinos P. Constantinou (University of Cyprus)
Andreas Harrer ( KU Eichstätt)
Anjo Anjewierden (University of Twente)
Janice Gobert (Worchester Polytechnic Institute)
Jeroen Janssen (Utrecht University

Workshop Summary
Computer-supported inquiry-based learning environments are gradually acquiring a central role in today's science classrooms. The designers of these environments aim to support students in developing their conceptual and epistemological understanding of scientific practice, at the same time as they develop critical scientific inquiry skills.  This learning approach, often situated in complex, data-rich, and computer-based environments, presents learners and teachers with challenges in monitoring, evaluating, and sustaining productive, ongoing inquiry processes. 

This workshop will examine methods that can dynamically support students' monitoring and evaluating of their inquiry process.  Activities will focus on identifying challenges to reflective inquiry learning and on characterizing the interacting processes that can help overcome them.  Additionally, the workshop will focus on the use of software to support reflective inquiry, such as tools for supporting data organization and explanation construction (e.g. STOCHASMOS), educational data mining tools (data logs), chat analysis tools (e.g. ChatIC), and awareness tools, such as the Participation tool (which is used with MEPA -multiple episode protocol analyses tool- in combination with the VCRI -Virtual Collaborative Research Institute- learning environment).

Who should participate?
We invite researchers, educational psychologists, instructional designers and computer scientists interested in the design of computer-supported learning environments to participate in this workshop. Participants should ideally have experiences with designing inquiry-based curricula and/or using software to support inquiry-based learning in science education. Prior experiences with classroom-based research will contribute to the workshop goals.  Advanced Ph.D. students are also welcome to apply. 

Workshop activities
Workshop activities will initially establish a framework for characterizing challenges to reflective learning in CSCL inquiry environments.  Short thought-provoking presentations about reflection, the use of real-time data and methods to support just-in-time inquiry learning will motivate the work conducted during the workshop.

Break-out groups will examine actual data (computer data logs, short video clips), proposed in advance by the participants, with the following goals: a) identifying approaches to support reflective learning, b) discuss their affordances and trade-offs, and c) proposing new ways to support inquiry-based learning.

If you are interested to participate
Deadline for applying for this workshop and submitting position papers is April 18, 2008.  Please submit your position paper and/or datasets (see information below) by going to the workshop website.  Participants also need to register for this workshop through the ICLS 2008 conference website.  There is a maximum number of 20 participants for this workshop.

Submissions
Position papers
Participants interested to participate are strongly encouraged to submit a short position paper (maximum 3 pages, MS Word format) describing their background and work related to inquiry-based CSCL environments and the goals of this workshop. All submissions will be reviewed by members of the international workshop committee.  People who have not submitted a position paper may attend the workshop, provided there are seats left. 

Datasets
We invite (but do not require) participants to supplement their position paper by submitting a small dataset (annotated data logs or annotated short video) that can be analyzed during the workshop.  Submissions will be protected by password and will remain the intellectual and actual property of the submitter.  Only the organizers will have access to these datasets prior to the workshop.

Workshop website
An interactive website to facilitate the pre-workshop exchange of documents, data sets, and ideas has been setup at http://edm.gw.utwente.nl, offering opportunities for pre-workshop communication amongst workshop participants.  Registered participants will have access to password-protected space, where they can upload the data (video, data log files in excel form, transcripts, etc.) for the workshop.   

For additional information please visit the workshop's website or email the organizers.