CSCL scripts for the collective working memory effect

Recently, collaborative learning has become recognized as an alternative way of overcoming individual working memory limitation (Kirschner, Paas, & Kirschner, 2011). Collaborating learners can be considered as a single information processing system, which can create a larger, more effective, collective working memory (Paas & Sweller, 2012). Group members can make use of each other’s’ working memory capacity by sharing the cognitive load imposed by a complex task. Collaborating individuals can invest less cognitive effort due to such advantage of being able to divide the information processing among group members, but at the same time, they need to invest cognitive effort in communicating information with each other and the coordination of their actions (Kirschner, Paas, & Kirschner, 2011). If such transaction cost is high, the distribution advantage is negated. This transaction cost can be decreased by working in carefully scripted learning environments. Collaboration scripts structure collaborative learning processes by constraining interaction, defining the type and sequence of collaborative activities. In particular, collaboration script is widely used to constrain interaction among collaborating learners in CSCL settings (Rummel & Spada, 2007). Collaboration script, however, has not been investigated in relation to the collective working memory effect in CSCL settings. This study, therefore, aimed to invest how to design CSCL scripts for the collective working memory effect in CSCL environments. The elements of the script, distribution, coordination and communication, and its implementations were suggested within the cognitive load perspective.