CoCoA2: Computer Supported Collaborative Language Learning Environment Based on Online Proofreading Hiroaki Ogata Yoshiaki Hada Yoneo Yano Department of Information Science and Intelligent Systems, Tokushima University 2-1, Minamijosanjima, Tokushima 770-8506, Japan Email: ogata@is.tokushima-u.ac.jp Abstract: CoCoA (Communicative Correction Assistant System) was developed for supporting students and teachers to exchange online marked-up documents via email. Its environment is very similar to a real one in which people use paper and pen. In order to effectively reuse marked-up digital documents created with CoCoA, this paper proposes a computer supported proofreading exercise environment called CoCoA2. CoCoA2 can reduce the overload of the teacher, and it can make composition learning more effective. CoCoA2 has been developed and used it experimentally. Introduction Recently, researchers in educational systems attempt to provide technological support for cooperative and collaborative learning advocated by educational theories (O’Malley, 1994). The explosive growth of networking, in particular, raises the possibility of widespread collaborative and open-ended learning activities (Harasim, et al., 1995). We have investigated technological support for open-ended and collaborative learning activities (Ogata, et al., 1996; 1997). In composition studies, coupled with the shift in writing pedagogy toward an open-ended and learner-centered approach, the theoretical view of learning has created a surge of interest in collaborative learning in such way as to prize conversation and interaction among students and among students and teachers. In computer-based classrooms, writing teachers and students use various software tools based on some theories of writing. Writing compositions includes various sub-processes such as planning, transcribing, and revising, which do not need to occur in any fixed order (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1986). Hence, it is very important for students to receive the instruction through the review. There are some asynchronous editing systems that support teachers to review and correct the students’ drafts with online mark-up. These systems adapt the traditional mark-up model to the computer screen. The symbols are both familiar and intuitive for editors and authors; for example, deletion, insertion, and move (Farkas & Poltrock,1995). For instance, MATE (Hardock, Kurtecbach, & Buxton, 1993) allows the editors to use both online markup and comments. In this model, authors and editors can readily interpret the editor’s markings. Although there are many systems that employ markup that allows multiple users to correct an electronic document as if they were marking up a printed copy of the document, the systems do not provide a generalized format for exchanging the documents using Internet. CoCoA (Communicative Correction Assistant system) has been developed for supporting foreigners and teachers to exchange marked-up documents by e-mail (Ogata et al., 1997). Its environment is very similar to a real one in which people use paper and pen. CoCoA allows teachers not only to correct the compositions sent from foreigners by E-mail, but also foreigners to see where and why the teacher had corrected them. CoCoA improves the opportunities that foreigners have for writing Japanese compositions and for receiving instructions from teachers. CCML (Communicative Correction Mark-up Language) (Ogata et al., 1998) has also been proposed for the representation of marked-up documents, which is based on SGML (Standard Generalized Mark-up Language) (Herwijnen, 1990). With CCML, teachers and students can exchange marked-up documents via e-mail (Ogata et al., 1999). In the experimental use of CoCoA, most of users commented that CoCoA was easy for them to understand the mistakes in documents because of the use of marks, and that the optional view of the original, marked or revised text was very useful. This paper proposes an online markup based collaborative learning environment called CoCoA2, for Japanese language composition studies. In order to effectively re-use marked-up digital documents created with CoCoA, CoCoA2 reuses the documents in proofreading exercise for other learners. In CoCoA2, a learner sends a teacher an original text. The teacher then corrects the text with CoCoA2, and returns the learner the marked-up text. The marked-up texts of all the learners are stored into a repository of the teacher. From the students in a networked writing classroom, CoCoA2 chooses an appropriate learner for proofreading exercise by analyzing