The use of modern information and communication technology, it has become in one of the most promising ideas to improve teaching and learning. An example is the computer-supported collaborative learning, which is concerned with studying how people can learn together with the help of computers and that if implemented appropriately, can provide an ideal environment in which interaction among students plays an important role in this learning process. However, development activity in a group with the use of a tool does not ensure a right collaboration and in addition, another problem apparent is: for the educators is easier to follow accepted practices than to carve out new paths replacing the traditional lecture-tutorial model with something radical as group work with the help of computers. For this reason, it is necessary to have elements that say what and how to support the collaborative learning process for improving the collaboration and the actions of teachers. In this paper, we propose a methodological guidelines catalog for solving these problems, which are a recurring solution to a standard problem that helps to communicate and reuse knowledge in this context, providing great benefits for the development of reusable, flexible, and customizable collaborative learning activities. According to the validation, it can be considered that our proposal is useful, applicable and ease of use in the application of collaborative activities and with its use, the collaboration improve.
17 April 2021 in Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a research discipline that optimizes human-machine interfaces. Ibero-America has become a leading region in HCI advances adapted to its unique socioeconomic environment. However, a global characterization of the research landscape for this discipline in the region still needs to be improved. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the scientific literature on HCI in Ibero-America using bibliometric techniques, identifying key authors, institutions, conceptual structure, and research trends. The methodology employed consisted of a bibliometric analysis of 9812 documents from 1990-2023 from Scopus and Web of Science. The data were analyzed using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer for statistical and network analysis. The results revealed that Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Mexico, and Colombia are at the forefront of HCI research in the region, with more than 90 % of total publications experiencing an annual growth rate of approximately 14.6 %, driven by strong international collaborations. Key topics are human-computer interaction, virtual reality, augmented reality, and video games, while education is one of the main application areas. The main conclusion is that the HCI research landscape in Ibero-America is characterized by rapid evolution, international integration, and conceptual diversity, indicative of a mature and interdisciplinary field that responds to regional demands. The advancement of the field could be driven by increased private-sector funding. Future system designs in the region should prioritize cultural sensitivity and inclusion.
The complexity in collaborative work is mainly related to the difficulty in social interaction, which generates low levels of understanding among participants about what they should do and about the problem to be solved, resulting in problems in the motivation to generate true collaboration. Therefore, in the search to improve collaborative work and encourage this collaboration, it is necessary to implement strategies that promote the construction of shared understanding and obtain better group results. However, building it becomes a challenge due to the factors that influence it and how little is known about its construction. In this sense, to improve collaborative work, as a result of a research process, the THUNDERS process is proposed, which provides a set of elements to build shared understanding in problem-solving activities and with heterogeneous group formation. Specifically, this paper presents the results of the statistical validation of THUNDERS through the Student’s t-test, which was used in an exploratory study in the educational field in two Colombian universities, where learning styles were considered for the formation of groups; having groups that used the process and other control groups that did not use it, the collaborative activity consisted of determining the scope of a process line simulating a software development company. According to the results obtained in the context of this study, it can be considered that THUNDERS encourages and improves shared understanding when people in a group work collaboratively to solve a problem. In addition, elements for improvement were identified that should be incorporated in further stages of this research so that the process allows for an easy and guided construction of shared understanding in any application context.