Facilitators:

Xu Maoyun :Assistant Professor, InterMedia; University of Bergen, Norway,xumaoyun21@yahoo.com.cn

Liu Shulin:Professor,Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Normal University,China, 330027,shulinliu21@yahoo.com.cn

Xu Chongliang: Professor, Foreign Languages College, NanChang University,China, 330047, chong@ncu.edu.cn

Yu Linsen: Professor, Foreign Languages College, Jiangxi Science & Technology University, China, 330027,YuLinsen@163.com

Collaborative Learning Workshops at CSCL 2003

WORKSHOP SUMMARY

The purpose of the workshop is to promote discussion and collaboration about designing an integrated NetSeminar model for Chinese university students in order to foster the students’ communicative efficiency in both spoken and written mode, and cultivate their ability to study collaboratively and independently.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

China has the world’s largest English learning population but inadequate teaching staff. There are more than 40 students in most of the classes in Chinese universities. It’s very difficult for the teachers to conduct the seminars, and most of the students are still learning ˛dumb English” or ˛illiterate English”. However, the Internet has become a household word nowadays, almost all the university students are interested in using computers for collaborative language learning, and we’re eager to design an integrated NetSeminar model for Chinese university students.

The purposes of the workshop are(1) to explore a variety of NetSeminar methods and evaluation analyzing system in order to foster the students’ communicative efficiency in both spoken and written mode, and cultivate their ability to study collaboratively and independently. (2) to promote discussion and collaboration about the implications of the NetSeminar model for further development. (3) to explore new forms of online collaborative learning for Chinese university students. (4) to look for a group of researchers and practitioners who are willing to work together in the workshop to improve the NetSeminar model for Chinese university students. In the proposed workshop, we aim to address the following questions:

• What types of NetSeminar models for collaborative learning exist nowadays?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of the NetSeminar model?
• What are the characteristics of successful NetSeminars?
• What factors affect the NetSeminar?
• How to conduct NetSeminars to promote the collaborative language learning?
• How to evaluate the NetSeminar?
• What information and components are needed to develop such models suited to analyze various aspects of collaborative learning interaction?
• What data and elements are needed to construct the NetSeminar model?

This workshop will be offered on Sunday 9-11. The facilitators will explain the goal of the workshop and the procedures to be followed.. About half an hour will be spent on the group analysis and discussion. The workshop will be conducted without computer support. A workshop report on the recommendations of the group will be written.