Motivation- How can educators assist students in networked based problem solving classroom?
Goal - To make framework of assistance of educators in the meaning of facilitators in the network-based cassroom.
Abstract
This paper shows what kinds of assistance are needed in netwok-based classroom discussion to make active learned from communication tools and GDSS(Group Decision Support System). We summerized the role of a facilitator which could assist human behavior in that envieonment. We also proposed functions of the facilitator agent.
Possibility of Communication
Internet as a Communication Tool
1. People can communicate with other people without problem
of difference of time and distance. They can participate discussions whenever
they can attend as far as they want.
2. People can get many ideas from people who have many different backgrounds
with heterogeneous information.
3. People can join newsgroups whenever they want to get other opinions
and they can stop joining newgroups whenever they want to stop.
4. People can get comments from other people when they publish their works
on Web pages
Type of Communication
- keeping with human relationships
- coping with specific persons
- discussing with people completely
- corresponding to specific problems
- transmitting information
the Information Distance
person's interest * size of disadvantage with ignoring the information in his/her society
- it can be decided by his/her own opinion
- if the size goes large, he/she thinks the information does not relate
with him/her and he/she may forget it.
Learned from GDSS
-if the group size is more large, good ideas might be
gotten
-it is better to gather heterogeneous people to be members
-it is better to make a goal or a purpose to have good solutions
-it should be use GDSS with responsible chairperson
Characteristics of Conversation
- existence of authority to solve the problem
- identity and conflict of interests in group
- existence in friendly relationship with group members
- effect of conversation will be low when there are no friendly relationship
between members
Characteristics of GDSS
Participants attitudes: concentrate
Concern to the problem: many opinions exist
Situation :
- restriction of time
- restriction of quality
Depth of discuss:
- chairperson can help
- pre-meeting
- handout materials will be distributed with the problem before the meeting
Fig. 1 Characteristics of environment
| network-based | face-to-face | ||
| personal characteristics | ability | variety | average |
| motivation | class project | class project | |
| experience/background | heterogenous(high) | heterogenous(low) | |
| characteristics of situation | intention to participate the meeting | heterogeneouse | homogeneous |
| characteristics of participants | hetero(high) | hetero(low) | |
| structure of group | norm of particiants | outside class | inside class |
| power in the relation | none | x | |
| position in the relation | none | x | |
| be closely united in group | none | x | |
| distance between human relation | far | close | |
Fig. 2 Characteristics of process
| network-based | face-to-face | ||
| characteristics of decision | depth of analysis | depend on participants | same |
| degree of participate | depend on participants | same | |
| degree of accomplishment of agreement | x | x | |
| time for seaching | x | x | |
| characteristics of communication | transparency of activities | depend on participants | same |
| effectiveness | good | not so good | |
| exchanging information | x | x | |
| commnication related activities | x | x | |
| response of the evaluation | x | x | |
| conscious of participants | depend of participants | same | |
| degree of concentration | depend of participants | same | |
| characteristics of human relation | collaboration | depend on participants | same |
| to be controlled under few participants | depend on participants | same |
Fig. 3 The Role of a Facilitator
| to make a direction of task and plan to participants | to assist participants' personal mind | to assist group discussions |
| set small goals | be conscious to look for | derive opinions from all of participants |
| find out what the problem is | speak in a discussion freely and feel ease | make clear to tell all participants the aimed direction |
| set short timeline | don't concentrate only the problem | |
| summarize the report in the way through | think about the problem to make deepen | |
| make clear what the problem is | be anxious to find out a solution | |
| investigate the possibility of the solution | intervene for a moment | |
| think about by yourself without discussion | ||
| change to interpret the problem | ||
| compare with those what could be thought | ||
| make a note what you are surprised |
The role of facilitator agent
a facilitator suggest task plans
a facilitator assist to participate the communication for member
member can ask a facilitator to assist or explanation
Conclusion and future researches
The idea of the facilitator and the role of the facilitator
experimental study
cultural different between US and Japan
--individualism vs. group works
--heterogeneous vs. homogeneous
Last updated: May 13, 1998