We describe “Belvedere,” a system to support students engaged in critical discussion of science and public policy issues. The design is intended to address cognitive and metacognitive limitations of unpracticed beginners while supporting their practice of this complex skill. The limitations include (1) difficulty in focusing attention given the abstract and complex nature of theories and arguments, (2) lack of domain knowledge, and (3) lack of motivation. Belvedere addresses these limitations by (1) giving arguments a concrete diagrammatic form, and providing tools for focusing on particular problems encountered in the construction and evaluation of complex arguments; (2) providing access to on-line information resources; and (3) supporting students working in small groups to construct documents to be shared with others. Both prior psychological research and formative evaluation studies with users shaped the interface design.
[1]
Roger King,et al.
Computer-Aided Reasoned Discourse or, How to Argue with a Computer ; CU-CS-358-87
,
2013
.
[2]
Raymond McCall,et al.
JANUS: integrating hypertext with a knowledge-based design environment
,
1989,
Hypertext.
[3]
R. Slavin.
Cooperative Learning: Theory, Research and Practice
,
1990
.
[4]
James M. McPartland,et al.
Education of Early Adolescents
,
1993
.
[5]
Michael L. Begeman,et al.
gIBIS: a hypertext tool for team design deliberation
,
1987,
Hypertext.
[6]
M. Scardamalia,et al.
Higher Levels of Agency for Children in Knowledge Building: A Challenge for the Design of New Knowledge Media
,
1991
.
[7]
Norbert A. Streitz,et al.
From ideas and arguments to hyperdocuments: travelling through activity spaces
,
1989,
Hypertext.