1. INTRODUCTION

Group collaboration in online settings has been studied in particular situations including work, learning and games. In on-line collaboration the electronic shared space becomes a frame of reference for team work and joint creation and/or discovery. Accordingly interfaces to the shared space are of extreme importance not only in relation to groupware but also to group-aware. Emphasis is attached to both the awareness of the individual’s role within the group as well as awareness of the group per se.

Cooperation and collaboration are two terms used interchangeably in the literature. Cooperation is related to the process of joint activity. Two or more individuals bring complementary skills and knowledge to a task. Each contributes their particular skill to the common purpose. Accordingly an individual can depart once their contribution has been made.

Collaboration is related to the process of joint creation. Two or more individuals bring overlapping skills and knowledge to a task. Ideally each contributes equitably, if not equally, to the common purpose. Accordingly an individual remains engaged until the task has been completed.

The confused understanding of the distinction between these two terms extends beyond the literature to the participants themselves. An individual may be both cooperating and collaborating at a task, and be unaware of their contributions.

Hence on-line shared spaces have to be supported by tools and interfaces that make the participants more group-aware. The intention of this workshop is to explore other dimensions of group-awareness and how tools and interfaces can be engineered to support this.

2. GROUP COLLABORATION IN ONLINE WORK, LEARNING & GAMES

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) offered the promise of working together towards a collective goal and problem solving. It further promised to increase productivity and enjoyment.

The nature of the electronic on-line shared space was essential in the support of CSCW effectiveness. For example, understanding an organisation’s culture can provide requirements for the groupware design in order to enhance collaboration. CSCW engineering emphasized the use of context-based methods such as ethnography to extract implications for design based on its situated context.

The overarching context of the first generation of CSCW online environments was commercial and industrial. When CSCW concepts and tools were extended first to learning and latterly to games this implicit context, and its design realization, came with it.

Group-awareness within CSCW environments refers to understanding of the activities of others, which provides the background of one’s own activity [1]. In other words knowledge of who is present on the interface, what has happened and how, supports the control of the pace of group work as well as individuals’ initiatives [2]. Therefore, CSCW group-awareness needs to support organisation of shared activities on individual and group level.

CSCW was morphed within learning contexts into Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). It appeared as a distinct approach in early 1990s based upon the Vygotskian and Piagetian belief that social interactions not only facilitate but also accelerate learning. Accordingly on-line learning is essentially collaborative, rather than cooperative, in nature as the participants are all equally engaged in what has become known as the negotiation of shared meaning. Hence collaborative learning is inherently constructivist.

Learning activities are characterised by a mix of pedagogical approaches within digital and physical spaces in which the tutor orchestrates multiple activities with multiple tools [3].

Group-awareness within CSCL environments refers to both social and cognitive processes occurred within shared learning activities [4]. Other than awareness of activities organisation, as with CSCW, CSCL is also concerned with learner’s knowledge awareness and group knowledge convergence [5]. Therefore, CSCL group-awareness needs to support individual’s learning and the quality of interaction patterns towards their shared construction of knowledge.

Games research started with games theory and CSCW while the major areas of HCI concern seemed to neglect it [6]. However, the enabling nature of networked multiplayer games for rich interaction attracted researchers from different disciplines to describe, understand and analyse group collaboration. This is because these games contain a degree of teamwork, either forced by the plot and interface or voluntary arranged.

Group-awareness within online games refers to the creation of the gamers’ sense of space, presence, time, ways to play, motivation and enjoyment [7] and exploration of gamers’ social dynamics [8]. Therefore, online games group-awareness needs to support gamer’s sense of space, enjoyment and satisfaction, organisation of their activities and the types of interactions needed to enhance them.

To conclude, it appears that Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) triggered researchers to consider the use of online tools in order to facilitate and enhance group collaboration and awareness. As the technology was developed and users’ experiences were enriched distinct research fields appeared such as CSCW, Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and multiplayer online games.

Nowadays these fields are coming together in a more conscious and ubiquitous way as emerging hybrid environments. The challenge is to incorporate fun and imagination to the benefit of innovative ways to organise and run online group collaboration and group-awareness.

3. AIMS OF THE WORKSHOP