ABSTRACT
Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a term for a broad range o f activitie s an d goal s tha t hav e becom e increasingl y popula r for scienc e an d engineerin g education . CSC L i s a technolog y base d educational practice that encourages students to communicate and work together a s a means fo r fosterin g learning . Collaborative activity , suc h as teamwork on engineering design projects or collaboration in scientif c inquiry, ha s bee n foun d t o enhanc e studen t learnin g a s measure d b y standardized tes t score s (e.g. , Bereiter & Scardamalia , 1989) . Positive learning outcome s i n CSC L ma y b e attributabl e t o man y feature s o f the collaborative environmen t includin g enhanced students ’ motivation (Blumenfeld e t al. , 1991) , increase d studen t immersio n i n proble m complexity (Lehrer, 1992), and increased quantity and quality of student dialogue (Roschelle, 1992).
