Abstracts - Earli

each other questions, explaining and justifying their opinions, articulating their reasoning, orelaborating and reflecting upon their knowledge. Collaboration scripts have recently beenpresented as a promising method to trigger these activities and to provide structure and support foropen learning environments. Scripts aim to foster collaborative learning in shaping the way inwhich learners interact with one another. They may define for each phase what task the studentshave to perform, the composition of the group, the way the task is distributed, the mode ofinteraction, and the timing of the phase. Computer-supported scripts can be designed to facilitatecollaborative learning in different ways. On the one hand, they can scaffold the interaction processper se by providing prompts, sentence starters etc. On the other hand, they can set up conditions inwhich favourable activities and productive interaction should occur. Beyond structuring specificactivities and interaction patterns, scripts may also orchestrate individual and collaborativeactivities as well as virtual and physical activities within the classroom over longer time segments.However, it is also evident that scripted collaboration does not happen without problems andchallenges, but different groups will act differently regardless of the same instructionalinterventions and environments. This symposium brings together researchers who have focused ondesigning scripts and evaluating their impact in computer-supported collaborative learningsettings. These settings vary in terms of social levels, time-scale, tools, participants etc., butcommon for all of them are the theoretical and methodological challenges related to theapplication of computer-supported scripts.Scripting collaborative problem solving with the Cognitive Tutor Algebra: A way to promotelearning in mathematicsNikol Rummel, Psychologisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universit, GermanyDejana Diziol, Psychologisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universit, GermanyHans Spada, Psychologisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universit, GermanyBruce McLaren, Human Computer Interaction Institute, Carnegie Mel, USAInterest in developing improved instructional methods for mathematics has increased since TIMSSand PISA. In our project, we introduce a new way to promote knowledge acquisition inmathematics: we enhanced the Cognitive Tutor Algebra I, an intelligent tutoring system forlearning mathematics in high school that only has been used for individual learning so far, to acollaborative learning setting. Although the Tutor has shown to increase learning, there also areseveral shortcomings. For instance, learning with the Tutor places emphasis on improvingstudents’ problem solving skills, yet a deep understanding of underlying mathematical concepts isnot necessarily achieved. To reduce these shortcomings, we extended the learning environment toa dyadic setting, adding new learning opportunities such as the possibility to mutually elaborate onthe learning content. A script was developed to guide students’ interaction and to ensure thatstudents profit from these new learning opportunities. The script structured students’ collaborationin an individual and a collaborative phase and prompted students to engage in fruitful interaction.An adaptive script component provided hints when the dyad encountered difficulties in problemsolving. Finally, dyads engaged in a reflection activity following each problem to improve theircollaboration over subsequent interactions. The scripts’ effect on students’ collaborative learningwas tested in a classroom study that took place over the course of one week. We compared thelearning of dyads collaborating at the Tutor without script support to the learning of dyadsscaffolded by the script. To measure different aspects of learning, students solved several post testson the Tutor and with paper and pencil. The results of the paper and pencil test assessingimprovement of students’ conceptual understanding show significantly better performances of thescript condition. The Tutor log data are still being analyzed and the results will be presented at theconference.– 373 –