The assistance dilemma in CSCL

Abstract

How to design structure for supporting collaborative learning is a fundamental theoretical and design issue in CSCL research. At the center of this issue lies an assistance dilemma: when to provide support structures and when to withhold them (at least temporarily) to optimize student learning. On the one hand, providing support structures right from the start has the advantage of reducing cognitive load, avoiding floundering and potential frustration. It may well lead to productive success, but there is also the danger of unproductive success--an illusion of performance without learning. On the other hand, withholding support may well lead to productive failure as students persist in active sense-making and problem-solving activities, but there is the danger of unproductive failure in students being overwhelmed. This symposium aims to interrogate issues pertinent to the assistance dilemma continuum by bringing together an eclectic group of CSCL researchers with commitments on various points on the continuum.