Forming Suitable Groups in MCSCL Environments

Introduction

Collaborative learning (CL) is a process in which two or more learners work together to achieve certain common learning objectives. For instance, to obtain, construct, or share new knowledge; to resolve some problems; to develop some projects, etc. CL could effectively help learners to develop their personal and social skills that could not be achieved individually, such as “making ideas explicit, communicating with others, reasoning, arguing and negotiating” (Carro, 2008, p. 3). Many other researchers have demonstrated the importance of CL (Dillenbourg, 1999; Johnson & Johnson 1994; Roger & Johnson, 1994; Yadegaridehkordi et al., 2019; Zurita et al., 2005).

The development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has led to the emergence of “E-learning”, which is based on the use of ICT to facilitate the tasks of constructing and sharing knowledge. The educators began then to search how to benefit from the rapid evolution of ICT to improve the CL pedagogy. As result, since the late 1990s, a new branch of learning called Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) has emerged (Lai, 2011). CSCL represents a pedagogical approach that aims to promote the collaboration between learners by helping them to construct their knowledge using computers and networks as their principal means of communication.

As part of ICT, the use of mobile communication technologies in last years has greatly expanded. According to the 2018’s annual data and statistics report published by the International Telecommunication Union agency (ITU), the rate of mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions has been increased from 15% in 2001 to 107% in 2018 (ITU, 2018) (see Figure 1). According to the same report, the penetration of mobile broadband in the world reaches 69.3% in 2018. This value has increased 12 times since 2007. This explosive growth in the usage of mobile technologies has led to the appearance of mobile learning (M-learning). In such a learning model, learners use only mobile devices (e.g., Smartphones, tablets, PDA) to learn anywhere and anytime.

Combining the two learning paradigms (CL and M-learning) in one process permitted the appearance of a new learning domain called Mobile Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (MCSCL). MCSCL allows mobile learners to collaboratively obtain, construct and share their knowledge without the constraints of place and time.

As demonstrated by many researchers, a successful CL is the one that is based principally on the formation of effective learning groups (Dillenbourg, 1999; Huang & Wu, 2011; Webb et al., 1998). However, having such successful groups requires a lot of efforts and time, especially when the number of learners is considerable. Compared to traditional learning environments, the group formation issue in MCSCL context represents more hard and time-consuming task. Instructors should not consider only the personality traits of learners (age, gender, cultures, skills, etc), but also their various learning behaviours (communication, movements, preferences, learning styles, etc), and information that are related to learning contexts (location, time, availability, etc). Therefore, the main challenge of this study is to provide the MCSCL community with a new automatic, dynamic, and customizable group formation solution that could enhance the learning, psychological, and social development of learners. To well achieve this objective, the following research questions should be clearly answered:

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  Question 1: Which grouping criteria could affect the learning quality of created groups?

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  Question 2: How a grouping algorithm should be developed in MCSCL environments?

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  Question 3: How to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed group formation solution?

Figure 1.

Evolution of technology usage (ITU, 2018), Source: (ITU, 2018)