Collaborative Learning Systems: A Case Study

Revision with unchanged content. What are the benefits of fostering one of the most significant pedagogical shifts in recent decades -- from practices and heuristics based in instructivist and behaviorist theory to constructivist concepts and approaches, particularly as they take form in the activities comprising problem-based learning? How have multimedia technologies affected this shift? What are the advantages of transforming, through multimedia technologies, how information is imparted, how individuals discover information, and how a classroom can become an active, engaging learning environment? This study discusses three related concepts: the benefits of problem-based collaborative learning; the value of using multimedia tools in learning systems; and the efficacy of participatory design as a software engineering methodology to create multimedia tools to be used in learning systems. This book may be of interest to educators who use technology to implement and enhance their curricula, as well as education technology theorists and researchers.

Associate Professor of Humanities and Information Technology, directs the Science, Technology and Society program at New Jersey Institute of Technology, in Newark, New Jersey. His research examines science and culture, socio-technical systems design, and the role of technology in education.