CSCL argumentation systems: how do empirical results and emerging technologies inform system development?

Abstract

Workshop Content Many CSCL systems at least implicitly relate to argumentation since they allow students to learn and construct knowledge collaboratively. There has been considerable effort in developing and assessing educational technology to support argumentation within the CSCL community. Many of these efforts have been shown to be effective for specific argumentation domains. At the same time, the general design problem of how to support a learner’s acquisition of argumentation skills via computer support has not been solved and is still an important item on today’s CSCL research agenda. Also, the affordances of new technologies (e.g., Web 2.0, Social Software, collaborative virtual environments, mobile devices, etc.) for argumentative CSCL systems have not been thoroughly investigated yet. The central goal of this workshop is to bring together two types of researchers, (a) those with an educational/psychological background who are interested in approaches to support the acquisition of argumentation skills and empirical studies, and (b) those with a more technology-oriented perspective who are interested in groupware systems for argumentation and the novel opportunities that come with “Social Software”, emerging web technologies, and other modern programming principles and technologies. These two groups will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the technological implications of recent empirical findings on argumentation and to discuss which aspects of novel technologies are worth further empirical investigation from the viewpoint of argumentation.