Increasing Beneficial Interactions in a Computer-Supported Collaborative Environment
Knutas, Antti (2016-10-29)
Väitöskirja
Knutas, Antti
29.10.2016
Lappeenranta University of Technology
Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-335-007-6
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-335-007-6
Tiivistelmä
University and software engineering teaching are changing in response to the
industry demand for new skills. Learning is becoming more interactive, and
the impact of student collaborative learning has increased. The extension
of collaboration with computer-supported collaborative environments allows
increased knowledge building between a wider range of participants. More flexible
teaching structures independent of place or time, better monitoring of student
understanding by instructors, and improved student productivity and satisfaction
can also be facilitated. However, the collaboration has to be implemented carefully,
or it will become a drawback instead of a benefit.
The first objective of this study is to document the current state of the utilization
of collaborative environments and methods in software engineering education.
The next stage is to use the results to first specify the requirements for a
computer-supported collaborative environment, then to design and implement a
prototype, and finally to use this prototype to evaluate and validate the design for
improved collaboration. The research follows the design science research process,
where a solution design is created through an iterative design and evaluation
process and the solution is validated through its utility. A design for improving
collaboration by improving issue-related and inter-team communication is created.
The collaboration is promoted further by applying gamification to the design.
The study shows that engineering students can be encouraged to collaborate online
with the application of gamification, that the system increases connectivity in
collaboration patterns, and in some cases this collaboration has positive results
for learning goals. During the research, the state of gamification design for
computer-supported collaboration was developed further by connecting it with the
theory of player profiles. Different types of players respond best to different kinds
of rewards, for example a simulated social status or additional challenges instead of
just an increased score. This study also presents a method for creating gamification
profiles from empirical observations in collaborative learning environments.
industry demand for new skills. Learning is becoming more interactive, and
the impact of student collaborative learning has increased. The extension
of collaboration with computer-supported collaborative environments allows
increased knowledge building between a wider range of participants. More flexible
teaching structures independent of place or time, better monitoring of student
understanding by instructors, and improved student productivity and satisfaction
can also be facilitated. However, the collaboration has to be implemented carefully,
or it will become a drawback instead of a benefit.
The first objective of this study is to document the current state of the utilization
of collaborative environments and methods in software engineering education.
The next stage is to use the results to first specify the requirements for a
computer-supported collaborative environment, then to design and implement a
prototype, and finally to use this prototype to evaluate and validate the design for
improved collaboration. The research follows the design science research process,
where a solution design is created through an iterative design and evaluation
process and the solution is validated through its utility. A design for improving
collaboration by improving issue-related and inter-team communication is created.
The collaboration is promoted further by applying gamification to the design.
The study shows that engineering students can be encouraged to collaborate online
with the application of gamification, that the system increases connectivity in
collaboration patterns, and in some cases this collaboration has positive results
for learning goals. During the research, the state of gamification design for
computer-supported collaboration was developed further by connecting it with the
theory of player profiles. Different types of players respond best to different kinds
of rewards, for example a simulated social status or additional challenges instead of
just an increased score. This study also presents a method for creating gamification
profiles from empirical observations in collaborative learning environments.
Kokoelmat
- Väitöskirjat [1037]