Roles, design, and the nature of CSCL

In this article, I argue that roles are a key construct for CSCL that demonstrate the interdisciplinary strengths of CSCL as a field. CSCL is a problem-driven field with a history of incorporating different paradigms, and has the advantage of using a design stance to understand phenomena like collaboration and learning that are difficult to study. Roles are understood differently by different disciplines, but the concept of roles serves as a boundary object between the different disciplines within CSCL and highlights potential areas for research. 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.