The CSCL community in its first decade: development, continuity, connectivity

12 Abstract Ten years of international CSCL conferences (1995–2005) provide an 13 occasion to reflect on the formation of the CSCL community. Based on quantitative 14 analysis of conference proceedings, lists of participants and program committee 15 members, and on qualitative study of policies and motives, this paper offers insights 16 into the growth of the CSCL community in its first decade. The analysis focuses on 17 participation at different levels of the community. In particular, focus is on the 18 continuity of active and passive membership, the geographical distribution, and the 19 international connectivity of the community. Contrary to expectations, only a 20 relatively small number of people have participated continuously in the community. 21 Concerning the geographical distribution, we found that the community is 22 increasingly international in conference participation, authors, and program 23 committees. The international connectivity of the community is also increasing, 24 which can be seen in a growing number of citations and co-authorships across 25 different countries. In order to interpret the results of our quantitative study, we 26 conducted a qualitative, e-mail-based survey. In this survey we wanted to elaborate 27 the policy of the conference organization, the reasons for international co-author28 ships and the motivations for participation in CSCL conferences. We contacted 84 29 members of different target groups (organizers, members of international co30 authorships, and randomly selected participants on different levels of participation). 31 The findings are suggestive for the further development of the CSCL community.