Improving Role Taking in CSCL Script using SNA and Semantic Web Nicola Capuano University of Salerno 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy ncapuano@unisa.it Giuseppe Laria Centre of Research in Pure and Applied Mathematics CRMPA 84084 Fisciano (SA), Italy laria@crmpa.unisa.it Elvis Mazzoni University of Bologna SE.Fo.R.A. Lab University of Bologna, 47023 CESENA (FC), Italy elvis.mazzoni@unibo.it Anna Pierri, Giuseppina Rita Mangione MOMA S.p.A. 84081 Baronissi (SA), Italy {pierri;mangione}@momanet.it Abstract— Designing effective CSCL processes is a complex task that can be supported by existing good practices formulated as pedagogical patterns or script. Over the past years the TEE research has shown that CSCL script acts as Mediating Artifacts (MA) designing educational scenarios and structuring and prescribing roles and activities. This work proposes an approach, based on Social Network Analysis and Semantic Web, in order to improve definition and instantiation phases of IMS-LD scripts. Keywords-CSCL: eLearning; Social Network Analysis, Semantic Web; Learning Design. I. INTRODUCTION The research field on Technology Enhanced Education (TEE) suggests that the collaborative dimension is one of the most important factors to take into account when thinking of ensuring a high level of sustainability of e- learning. In order to advert the difficulty in managing discussions, knowledge sharing and argumentation [1], the scientific community has recently developed and sustained the validity of new theoretical approaches related to CSCL scripts [2]. According to [3], collaboration scripts are instructional sequences that organize learning activities into phases defined by using five different items: activity (or activities) that learners have to perform, group composition, assignment of roles (to learners within the groups), interaction modes and phase timing. These scripts are fundamental to guide the collaboration [4] and they are expected to facilitate learning by guiding peers’ collaboration and engaging all participants in roles and activities that trigger the activation of their cognitive and metacognitive processes. With respect to the CSCL roles identification, there are two perspectives: scripted roles and emergent roles [5]. Scripted roles are assigned by a teacher. Emergent roles spontaneously emerge through a negotiation phase carried out by learners without teacher’s interactions. In order to take the opportunities related to CSCL scripts, each learner has to play the role that best fits with his/her personal qualities. The study here presented intends to contribute to the current debate about how technology- enhanced learning environments should support the prospect of "educational CSCL patterns” for the design of learning activities whose effectiveness is closely linked to the way they can facilitate, in intelligent educational system, the processes of role taking in setting groups. II. THE PROPOSED APPROACH This work proposes an approach based on Social Network Analysis (SNA) to support teachers in assigning the right role to a specific learner during the enactment of a CSCL script. We propose a taxonomy for scripted roles, which are divided in content–oriented (Starter, Editor, Summarizer, Cybrarian, Revisioner, Info-Broker) and process-oriented (Task Manager, Balancer of Participation, Monitor, Critician, Theoretician, Disseminator), [1] and an extension of the IMS-LIP specifications in order to take care about roles played by learners during the CSCL scripts execution and score of proficiency with respect to their performances. In particular, the taxonomy is represented using SIOC schema in order to simply link roles with collaborative environment. The presence of roles information in learner profiles and in collaborative environments is used to support instructors in binding learners, roles and groups appropriately within the CSCL scripts instantiation/enactment phase, so improving the development of cognitive and social capital inside a collaborative script. The last component of the approach proposed in this paper concerns the evaluation of learners’ performances during the execution of a CSCL script with respect to the role played. We propose the application of the Social Network Analysis (SNA) to evaluate the learners playing scripted roles within collaborative environments (represented with SIOC) in the context of a CSCL script described using 2011 11th IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies 978-0-7695-4346-8 2011 U.S. Government Work Not Protected by U.S. Copyright DOI 10.1109/ICALT.2011.197 636