Using Metacognition to Enhance Web-based Collaboration: a Case Study in Engineering Education

In this work the use of metacognition for the enhancement of webbased collaboration is presented. In particular the work focuses on the enhancement of the collaborative skills by means of developing metacognitive strategies. Through such strategies the individual is expected to be able to monitor his/her collaborative interactions and adjust them in order to enhance the effectiveness of his/her collaborative activity. The adoption of metacognitive strategies is a conscious procedure therefore it is translatable through metacognitive interactions. Modeling of the metacognitive interactions using the intermediate variables approach is presented in a case study that refers to Lin2k, a web-based collaboration environment. Experimental uses of Lin2k allowed the investigation of the impact of metacognition on the collaborative activity. Discussion on the experimental results proves the potentiality of the presented approach and stimulates further thoughts on the role of metacognition within the collaborative procedure.