STEAMS - Itec

STEAMS - Supporting TEamwork in AMbient learning Spaces

STEAMS will deliver a set of multimodal metrics, tools, and insights for supporting the
assessment and teaching of collaborative problem solving skills in ambient learning
spaces, validated in primary and secondary education, and in corporate contexts

Although the value of collaborative problem solving (CPS) is widely recognized, successful teamwork is not guaranteed. Learning coaches often lack knowledge about how CPS can be taught, supported and objectively assessed. In addition, in (Flemish) education, more teamwork creates additional challenges for teachers who are already faced with larger groups of students. The consortium of STEAMS acknowledges the need to investigate how technology can help to teach, effectively support and assess CPS in education as well as in professional contexts. Therefore, STEAMS will create a prototype of a flexible learning platform that blends the physical and digital world in order to deliver effective CPS experiences in ambient learning spaces and to make CPS scalable and measurable.

STEAMS will deliver a set of tools, multimodal metrics, and insights for supporting teaching and assessment of Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) skills in ambient learning spaces. The envisioned STEAMS demonstrator will consist of:

a data-driven tool for group composition;
a smart editor that allows teachers/coaches to script and configure the learning scenario;
evidence-based pedagogical scenarios and novel storytelling formats for collaborative problem solving;
a virtual moderator that supports CPS activities;
an architecture for multimodal capture and visualisation that makes the collaboration processes
visible for reflection and feedback.

These components cover the entire chain of preparation, playout and debriefing of a CPS lesson or training, and will be implemented in a demonstrator that covers 4 use cases: (1) pair programming for teenagers, and (2) learning about collaboration skills in (2a) primary education, (2b) secondary education, and (2c) corporate training.

To support learners during collaboration and learning coaches in facilitating and assessing collaboration, STEAM will focus its research activities on:

the objective evaluation of the quality, effects and progress of CPS in ambient learning spaces
the visualisation of the quality indicators to support learners during CPS (teaching for collaboration), and support facilitators (collaboration as method)
supporting CPS through effective pedagogical scenarios and new educational storytelling formats
organizing and managing team processes through data-driven advice for group composition.

STEAMS involves complementary expertise of partners with shared innovation goals. VRT, FTRPRF and Averbode develop novel pedagogical formats that involve collaborative learning as a method to deal with the learning objectives in secondary and primary education. STEAMS will create the facilitators to improve collaborative skills from young children (Averbode) to the current workforce (Hudson). Hudson R&D develops both paper-based and digital assessment and coaching tools to evaluate individual performance and talent in professional settings. FTRPRF builds dedicated software solutions that support future-proof learning in the education and business markets. Lastly, the long term innovation goals of research partners itec and Augment involve understanding and supporting collaborative problem solving through theories in the learning sciences as well as ground-breaking hardware and software for data capturing, analysis and visualisation, validated in innovative learning spaces such as KU Leuven’s Edulab.