Coordinated computer-supported collaborative learning: Awareness and awareness tools

Traditionally, research on awareness during online collaboration focused on topics such as the effects of spatial information about group members’ activities on the collaborative process. When the concept of awareness was introduced to computer-supported collaborative learning, this focus shifted to cognitive group awareness (e.g., information about group members’ knowledge and expertise) and social group awareness (e.g., information about group members’ contributions to the group process). In this article, we show how both cognitive and social group awareness affect coordination of collaborative activities in the content (e.g., cognitive learning activities) and relational space (e.g., maintaining a positive group climate) of collaboration. Furthermore, we describe how cognitive and social group awareness tools (i.e., tools designed to enhance cognitive or social group awareness) may help learners coordinate their activities in both spaces. We present a conceptual framework that shows how group awareness affects coordination in both dialogical spaces and the effectiveness of collaboration.