RiSE Center Seminar – Dr. Xiongyi Liu, Friday, May 4, 9-10 am in Hill Auditorium

RiSE Center Colloquium & Seminar Series
presents

Dr. Xiongyi Liu
Assistant Professor
College of Education and Human Services, Cleveland State University

at Arthur St. John Hill Auditorium
Friday, May 4, 2012
9 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Effective Practices in Computer Supported Collaborative Learning and Implications for STEM Education

Abstract: With the rapid advances in computer and related technologies, computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is emerging as a dynamic paradigm. Research in CSCL has shown that it greatly facilitates knowledge sharing and co-construction through peer interaction and group learning processes. In this talk the presenter will discuss her research on how instructional innovation following a CSCL approach, specifically web-based case study and web-based peer assessment, can lead to enhanced engagement and learning gains among students. The findings indicate that students who work collaboratively in dyads or small groups in computer-supported problem-based or project-based learning activities engage more in higher level discourses and perspective taking, produce better solutions or projects, and develop more positive attitudes towards the subject. In addition, student motivation and individual differences are important factors that mediate the effectiveness of CSCL activities. The implications of such findings for the use of CSCL in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education are discussed.

Bio: Dr. Xiongyi Liu is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education and Human Services, Cleveland State University. She has a BA in English for Legal Professionals from South Central University of Political Science and Law in China, and an MA and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Currently she is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology at Cleveland State University. Dr. Liu has ten years of research experience. Her work typically focuses on development and evaluation of technology-enhanced learning tools and how technological innovations and advances in learning theories influence each other.