Fostering deep understanding and skills acquisition by means of collaborative design tasks involving innovative digital video technologies in the classroom

• Applicant: Privatdozentin Dr. Carmen Zahn
• Subject Area: General and Domain-Specific Teaching and Learning ; Developmental and Educational Psychology
• Term: from 2006 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 22134855

Innovative digital video technologies have caused a fundamental shift in video use paradigms from consumption to authorship. Correspondingly, the spectrum of instructional video uses in the classroom is augmented by new types of multimedia design tasks, such as the production of videos and visual hypermedia. Current research suggests that such design tasks can support active and collaborative student learning under certain conditions. Our research addresses the specific conditions necessary for effective collaboration and learning when students perform design tasks using digital video technologies in class. The goal is to examine the influences of technological constraints, students media-related cognition and instruction on collaborative learning and achievement. Our working program includes two experiments to study the impacts of digital (hyper)video technology in interaction with students media-related concepts (exp. 1), and teachers task instructions (exp. 2) on students collaborative design efforts, their deep processing of the subject matter and their acquisition of literacy skills. Our research is closely related to educational goals repeatedly emphasized by professionals in educational science that are now part of the national education standards relevant for German schools. Particularly, we focus on visual and digital literacy skills.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 738: Orchestrating Computer-supported Processes of Learning and Instruction
• Participating Persons: Dr. Stefanie Hartz; Professor Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Hesse