This paper examines how context is configured in ESL students' language learning practices through computer-mediated communication (CMC). Specifically, I focus on how a group of ESL students jointly constructed the context of their CMC activities through interactional patterns and norms, and how configured affordances within the CMC environment…

In this paper an analysis is made about how awareness in digital learning environments relates to communication, coordination and cooperation and, consequently, collaboration. A collaboration model, where awareness occupies a central position, is presented. The awareness elements of the AulaNet environment are also analyzed, seeking to identify…

Women-only vocational courses in technology, which became popular across Western Europe during the 1980s, had fallen from fashion by 2000. Yet the need for such courses remains, at least in certain circumstances. Drawing on case studies of two women-only courses in information and communications technology (ICT), from the Netherlands and Scotland,…

Having been involved in undergraduate and graduate student groups on four campuses, the author of this article has noticed certain characteristics commonly found in successful campus groups. These characteristics include: (1) initial and continual planning with community members; (2) active involvement by all stakeholders; and (3) evaluating the…

Over the last six years, the UK government has focused on inspection as a means to drive improvement in the adult education sector. This article examines how far the quality assumptions behind the Common Inspection Framework are adequate and whether it requires further development. The purpose of this study is twofold: first to give a voice to…

Group work is a widely used learning approach in higher education where it is seen as encouraging the development of collaborative skills and attitudes while producing an assessable product. Group assignments can, however, create dilemmas and tensions for both staff and students. Students often seek academic intervention in the form of support and…

This study goes beyond student perceptions of online learning experiences, satisfaction, and attitudes, to examine the actual participation and dynamics that occur in online discussions and their relationship to student learning outcomes. A content analysis approach was used to investigate students' socio-cognitive processes in an online…

In the scientific literature, the debate around the school and class effect is polarized, because the variance between schools and classes is explained either by school and class process or by group composition. The first aim of this article is to shed light on this debate and move beyond it by reviewing qualitative and quantitative studies…

The head of the writing center at Rollins College, in an attempt to develop a metaphor for the writing center turned to peer writing consultants. Their suggested metaphors structure an essay about what a writing center should be: a community of consultants and clients working together, respectful of diversity, originality, tolerant of differences.…

This paper examines the changing attitudes and personal development of 20 college students participating in an advanced class on ethical outdoor leadership. Students took part in short outdoor activities and tasks for which they selected their own leaders, determined strategies, and evaluated their task and group process performances. Course…

Research in recent years has demonstrated that cooperative learning is a highly effective classroom intervention that promotes student learning and development across a range of curriculum areas. This study compared the effects on behavioral interactions and achievement of: (1) cooperative learning in which members were trained to collaborate to…

Problem-based learning (PBL) offers students the opportunity to apply the appropriate knowledge to a well-defined problem, allowing students to apply academic problem-solving skills to their own real-life problems. This paper describes outcomes of a PBL program that was used as a tool for school improvement in three South Carolina schools--one…

The old-fashioned focus on individuals as separate from their surroundings is no longer tenable. The papers in this edited volume are informed by the Group Relations model which was designed to help those providing services to children and adolescents to evaluate treatment programs and to make needed improvements. The chapters describe how a…

Problem-based learning (PBL) uses adult-learning theory to structure the instructional process around presentation of a problem. Learning events emulate real-life situations as closely as possible. This paper describes how two middle schools and one high school implemented a structured staff-development approach aimed at teaching teachers how to…

Although inquiries into social status have enjoyed increasing popularity in the literature, peer nomination techniques reveal little about the determinants of social preference. This study examined the relationship between two sociometric measures in predicting five categories of social status: (1) Popular; (2) Neglected; (3) Rejected; (4)…