Technological support for the enactment of collaborative scripted learning activities across multiple spatial locations

Computer Supported Collaborative Blended Learning (CSCBL) scripts are innovative practices that benefit from interactive devices to combine and coordinate activities occurring in different spatial locations. However, the adoption of CSCBL scripts is hindered by the difficulties in orchestration that they entail for practitioners. As observed in a concrete experiment, these orchestration problems include: adapting group formation according to students’ actions in previous activities, supporting transitions between activities and artifacts across locations using diverse technologies, or displaying the appropriate tools to students depending on their group and assigned task. This paper describes the technological support designed to alleviate this complexity. The result is a Computer Supported Collaborative Blended Learning (CSCBL) script and its associated orchestration system that allows the replication of these practices at a minimum cost. The CSCBL script has been evaluated in a case study with 35 students and 5 teachers. Based on this orchestration system and the findings of the experiment, we also propose an architecture based on IMS Learning Design and Generic Service Integration in combination with other web based tools to support the enactment of other similar CSCBL scripts. The findings of this experiment offer interesting insights into the extend to which different technologies and multiple spaces can be combined for orchestrating integrated complex collaborative practices.Work partially funded by the Learn3 project, “Plan Nacional de I+D+I” TIN2008-05163/TSI, the “Emadrid: Investigación y desarrollo de tecnologías para el e-learning en la Comunidad de Madrid” project (S2009/TIC-1650) and the EEE: Orquestando Espacios Educativos Especulares, “Plan Nacional de I+D+I” TIN2011-28308-C03-03