language: en

Experiences with CLARE: a Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environment

Dadong Wan
Center for Information Technology & Management Walter A. Haas School of Business University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-1900, USA
Philip M. Johnson
Department of Information and Computer Sciences University of Hawaii
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
September 2, 1994

Abstract Current collaborative learning systems focus on maximizing shared information. However, meaningful learning is not simply information sharing but also knowledge construction. CLARE is a computer-supported learning environment that facilitates meaningful learning through collaborative knowledge construction. It provides a semiformal representation language called RESRA and an explicit process model called SECAI. Experimental evaluation through 300 hours of classroom usage indicates that CLARE does support meaningful learning. It also shows that a major bottleneck to computer-mediated knowledge construction is summarization. Lessons learned through the design and evaluation of CLARE provide new insights into both collaborative learning systems and collaborative learning theories.

[This paper is a revised and expanded version of one appearing in the]

[Proceedings of the 1994 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, October 22-26, 1994, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.A.]