Cognition of Digital Information

Objectives | Grading | Syllabus


Objectives

This course examines issues of knowledge/information representation and learning in digital learning environments. We will discuss issues of non-linear presentation of information, navigation and collaboration and these affect knowledge construction by learners.
The three main areas that we will address are:

Class participation: 20%
Midterm paper+presentation: 25%+5%. Papers are due on 11/14.
Final Paper+Presentation: 45%+5%. Papers are due on 12/12

Class participation:
All classes will be in discussion format. Participation in the class is required. You are required to read the assigned articles before the class and come prepared to discuss at least 3 points/issues in class. After an initial discussion of the readings, in each class, students will work in groups and discuss the issues that their group members have generated. We will then continue with the class discussion.

Midterm paper:
The midterm paper will be an evaluation of three digital collections based on how they provide structure and coherence for a reader. You are required to review the sites and discuss whether maintaining coherence was a challenge and if so, why. You should also provide alternatives for designing, and organization of content. Your paper should be at least 10 pages long (double spaced, maximum 11pt. font).

Final Paper:
The final paper will be an in-depth analysis of any one topic that we covered in this class. You will need to read any additional material if necessary and prepare an argument about the topic of discussion what you think should be the way forward. Your paper should be at least 15 pages long (double spaced, maximum 11pt. font).

Note: All assignments are due on the date specified. Late submissions will not be accepted.

(In addition to the readings, we will also review some digital libraries and resources)

9/12

Introduction

Issues of representing information, knowledge construction and collaboration


9/19: Coherence in digital documents (hypertext)

Readings:

Storrer, A. (2002). Coherence in text and hypertext. Document design.

Thuering, M., Hannemann, J. & Haake, J. (1995). Hypermedia and Cognition: Designing for Comprehension. Communications of the ACM, 38(8), 57-66.

Engebretsen, M. (2000). Hypernews and coherence. Journal of digital information, 1(7), 12-19.

Kahn, P. (1995). Visual cues for local and global coherence in the WWW
Communications of the ACM, 38(8), 67-69


9/26: Providing coherence: outlines, hierarchies and trees

Readings:

Shapiro, A. M. (1998). Promoting active learning: The role of system structure in learning from hypertext. Human Computer Interaction, 13(1), 1-35.

Shapiro, A. M. (1999). The relevance of hierarchies to learning biology from hypertext. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8(2), 215-243.

Shapiro, A. M. (2000). The effect of interactive overviews on the development of conceptual structure in novices learning from hypermedia. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 9(1), 57-78.

Dee Lucas, D., & Larkin, J. H. (1995). Learning from electronic texts: Effects of interactive overviews for information access. Cognition and Instruction, 13(3), 431-468.

Readings:

Brusilovsky, P., Eklund, J., and Schwarz, E. (1998) Web-based education for all: A tool for developing adaptive courseware. Computer Networks and ISDN Systems (Proceedings of Seventh International World Wide Web Conference, 14-18 April 1998) 30 (1-7), 291-300.

Brusilovsky, P., Ritter, S., and Schwarz, E. (1997). Distributed intelligent tutoring on the Web. In: B. du Boulay and R. Mizoguchi (eds.) Proceedings of AI-ED'97, 8th World Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, 18-22 August 1997. Amsterdam: IOS, pp. 482-489.

Brusilovsky, P. and Rizzo, R. (2002) Map-Based Horizontal Navigation in Educational Hypertext. Journal of Digital Information, 3(1).


10/10

Guest lecture


10/17: Navigation support, NESTOR, hyperbolic browser

Readings:

Eklund J, Sawers J & Zeiliger R (1999) NESTOR Navigator: A tool for the collaborative construction of knowledge through constructive navigation. In R. Debreceny & A. Ellis (eds.) proceedings of Ausweb99, The Fifth Australian World Wide Web Conference. Southern Cross University Press, Lismore. p. 396-408.

Zeiliger, R., Belisle, C., Cerratto, T., (1999), Implementing a Constructivist Approach to Web Navigation Support, in proceedings of the ED-MEDIA'99 Conference, Eds.Collis,B., Oliver, R. ,June 19-24, AACE, Seattle,Wa., USA.

10/24: Use of concept maps for navigation

Readings:

Gaines, B. R., & Shaw, M. L. Concept maps as hypermedia components

Gaines, B. R., & Shaw, M. L WebMap: Concept mapping on the web

Readings:

Stone, C. A. (1998). The metaphor of scaffolding: Its utility for the field of learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(4), 344-364.

Stone, C. A. (1998). Should we salvage the scaffolding metaphor? Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(4), 409-413.

Palincsar, A. S. (1998). Keeping the Metaphor of Scaffolding Fresh--A Response to C. Addison Stone's "The Metaphor of Scaffolding: Its Utility for the Field of Learning Disabilities". Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(4), 370-373.

Bell, P. (1997). Using argument representations to make thinking visible for individuals and groups. In R. Hall, N. Miyake, & N. Enyedy (Eds.), Proceedings of CSCL '97: The Second International Conference on Computer Support for CollaborativeLearning, (pp. 10-19). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Reiser, B. J. Why Scaffolding Should Sometimes Make Tasks More Difficult for Learners In Stahl, G. (ed.) Computer support for collaborative learning foundations for a CSCL community. Proceedings of CSCL 2002, Boulder, Colorado, USA (January 7-11, 2002), 255-264. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Puntambekar, S., & Hübscher, R. (2005) Tools for scaffolding students in a complex environment: What have we gained and what have we missed? Educational Psychologist. Vol. 40 (1), 1-12.


11/7: The space metaphor for hyperdocuments

Readings:

Dillon, A. It's the journey not the destination: Shape and the emergent property of genre in evaluating digital documents From the New Review of Multimedia and Hypermedia, theoretical paper outlining the importance of structural properties of information spaces in aiding user navigation and comprehension.

Bromme, R., & Stahl, E. (2004). Is a hypertext a book or a space? The impact of different introductory metaphors on hypertext construction. Computers and education, 44, 115-133


11/14

Midterm presentations

11/21

I will be away. Independent work on a final papers.


11/28: Knowledge construction in online communities

Readings:

Hewitt, J. (2002). From a focus on tasks to a focus on understanding: The cultural transformation of a Toronto classroom. In T. Koschmann, R. Hall, & N. Miyake (Eds.) Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Volume 2: Carrying forward the conversation (pp. 11-41). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.


Oshima, J., & Oshima, R. (in press) Coordination of asynchronous and synchronous communication: Differences in qualities of progressive discourse between experts and novices. In T. Koschmann, R. Hall, & N. Miyake (Eds.) Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Volume 2: Carrying forward the conversation (pp. 11-41). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

More readings TBA

Readings:

Norman, D. (1988). The psychopathology of everyday things. The Psychlogy of Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.

Norman, D. (1988). The design challenge. The Psychlogy of Everyday Things. New York: Basic Books.

Jakob Neilson's alertbox

12/12

Final presentations