The work-reflection-learning cycle - Department of Computer and ...

Glossary
B
Boundary object – artifacts, documents, terms, concepts etc. around which CoPs can
organize their interconnections (Wenger 1998). Boundary Objects are plastic enough
to adapt to local needs and constraints of the parties employing them, yet robust
enough to maintain a common identity across sites (Star and Griesemer 1989).
Brokering – connections provided by people who can introduce elements of one
practice into another (Wenger 1998)
C
Collaboration - to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual
endeavour (Meriam Webster Online). In the literature within the research fields of
CSCW and CSCL, there are definitions distinguishing between collaboration and
cooperation, some pointing to cooperation as involving the coordination of
independent tasks, whereas collaboration involves mutually dependent tasks.
However, the usage of these terms varies. In the thesis I do not apply a strict
distinction, and in the different research papers, I have been using the terms
cooperation technology, collaboration tools and collaborative tools interchangeably.
Computer supported cooperative work (CSCW) – the research field addressing
how collaborative activities and their coordination can be supported by means of
computer systems (Carstensen and Schmidt 2002 (1999)).
Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) – an emerging branch of the
learning sciences concerned with studying how people can learn together with the
help of computers (Stahl et al. 2006). See Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL).
Community of practice (CoP) – A group of people characterized by a joint
enterprise, mutual engagement, and a shared repertoire. Another perspective on a CoP
is to consider it a shared history of learning. (Lave and Wenger 1991; Wenger 1998)
Cooperation – to act or work with another or others (Merriam Webster Online). See
Collaboration.
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