The authors discuss the notion of Rapid Collaborative Knowledge Building (RCKB) in classroom settings. RCKB seeks to harness the collective intelligence of groups to learn faster, envision new possibilities, and to reveal latent knowledge in a dynamic live setting. It is characterized by the notion of rapid cycles of knowledge building activities…

Discusses group projects in distance learning, describes factors affecting the successful completion of group projects, and considers whether agent technology (self-contained, concurrently executing software processes that encapsulate the current state in terms of knowledge) is able to support students doing group projects. (LRW)

Reviews the incorporation of interactivity in Web-based instruction. Discusses computer mediated learning; interactivity and learning, including instructional transaction theory and cognitive flexibility theory; advantages of Web-based instruction; content and social interactivity; asynchronous and synchronous communication; individual and group…

Provides insights into the design of effective educational planning conversations derived from the metaphor of enthalpy (the amount of heat energy released when chemical reactions occur). Interprets enthalpy changes in the context of energy and the dynamics necessary to sustain an effective systems design conversation. (AEF)

Describes the use of a computer conferencing program, Confer II, in freshman college composition classes. Benefits discussed include the opportunity to expand classroom discussions; promotion of interactions between students, both class-related and purely social; and exploration of the link between conversation and expressive writing. (five…

Explains learning-by-Web design, an emerging approach to learning-by-design that uses the Web as a vehicle to conduct a project. Discusses student's motivation, the effects of group collaboration on student learning, the effects of content structure, the effects of Web publicity, visual design considerations, and balancing learning both design…

Defines dialogue and traces some of the forces that underlie thinking and acting in social settings where collective action is sought. Discusses stages and core elements in the dialog process. Describes results of the Dialog Project at MIT in terms of research sites, theory, facilitator development, educational material, an international…

Demonstrates how the Gestalt Approach can be useful in facilitating systems design for educational change. This approach focuses on awareness of the process that the group is involved with and helps to create an environment where individual and group concerns can be integrated and harmonized. Discusses the "Cycle of Experience" and…

Proposes an extended form of dialog for social systems design called design conversation. Two modes of social discourse are combined: strategic dialog (communication that focuses on the specific task of seeking solutions) and generative dialog (common frame of thinking and shared meaning in a group). Describes a conversation program of the…

A design group needs to sift through confusion, come together, and converse as a team before it can be productive in design tasks. At the 1994 Fuschl Conversation on Systems Design, the metaphor of lighting a fire was used to symbolize this coming together; three tables examine the relationships between the metaphor and starting a design…

Discussion of computer-mediated communication in education focuses on online collaboration. Highlights include characteristics of a collaborative group, including participation, interaction, and interdependence; collaborative situations; non-collaborative groups, including cooperation without collaboration; factors that promote or inhibit…

Discusses the implementation of computer conferencing (CC) as a learning environment to supplement classroom instruction at the postsecondary level. The teacher's role, student characteristics, group dynamics, benefits and limitations, and orientation and training in computer conferencing technology are highlighted. A figure illustrates the…