Discussion of computers as mindtools focuses on semantic networks and expert systems that help learners build a representation of what they know by designing their own knowledge bases. Describes a study of undergraduates that examined the effects of building semantic networks on the construction of expert systems. (Author/LRW)

Proposes to strengthen the theoretical basis supporting hypermedia computer-assisted language-learning (CALL) authoring by initiating a requirements analysis based on contextualized conceptual and mental models, presenting the theoretical dimension of knowledge representations within the authoring process and applying the theoretical approach to…

A method to facilitate collaborative learning in complex learning environments was developed and evaluated. Sixteen college students of educational science were given the CoStructure-Tool, a task-specific computer-based tool developed on the basis of concept mapping techniques to support the processes of knowledge construction in collaborative…

Describes a study of undergraduates that compared navigational study strategies, the extent of lesson coverage, and attitudes about learning with three types of hypermedia lessons to examine how learners use different types of graphical browsers in a learner-controlled hypertext system to construct personalized representations of the content…

In our recent research we have explored possibilities to scaffold collaborative learning in higher education with wireless networks and mobile tools. The pedagogical ideas are grounded on concepts of collaborative learning, including the socially shared origin of cognition, as well as self-regulated learning theory. This paper presents our three…

An examination of Dutch research on legal case solving revealed that few law students get systematic instruction or testing in the technique of legal problem solving. The research being conducted at the Department of Computer Science and Law at the University of Amsterdam focuses on identifying the different functions in legal reasoning tasks in…

Conceptual learning of 13 graduate students was studied during a six-week course using the Internet for collaborative learning of online articles. Five groups were formed with each creating a knowledge map during the first and fifth week of the course. Multidimensional scaling analysis was used to study change in each group's mapping over time to…

Discussion of hypermedia, memory, and metacognition focuses on a study of graduate students that examined how hypermedia instruction can influence structures of knowledge, format selection for graphical descriptions of hypermedia-related information, hypermedia knowledge, concept-map complexity, and metacognitive accuracy. Future research is…

This paper reports on a project involving the development and formative evaluation of an interactive World Wide Web-based learning tool. The interactive graphing tool (IGT) permits students to sketch a graph on screen using a mouse and responds to a wide range of common graph types. The IGT facilitates an iterative approach to understanding…

Reviews two software programs, "PhoneDisc Business95" and "BusinessMAP LTF," that offer user-friendly, low-cost, and quick methods of identifying and mapping patterns of the names of U.S. businesses. This software can be used to help students understand how populations see and define themselves regionally and visualize the demographic spread of…

The identification and integration of reusable and customizable CSCL (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) may benefit from the capture of best practices in collaborative learning structuring. The authors have proposed CLFPs (Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns) as a way of collecting these best practices. To facilitate the process of CLFPs…

Describes an experimental computer program that attempts to simulate a choreographers' knowledge and expertise. The user expresses a set of rules that describe some of the dynamic aspects of a dance. These rules are applied nondeterministically by a "rule driver" program. The rule driver embodies a heuristic algorithm. (MJP)