Social cybernetic strategies for asynchronous learning

In over 4 decades of experience with computer-supported learning (CSL), applications have progressed from rote training with primitive computer work stations, to today’s web-based applications for support of online learning communities (OLCs). It is assumed here that the growing focus of CSL applications on OLCs to support collaborative group learning has an inexorable momentum that parallels the trend in education generally. This report therefore advocates social cybernetic strategies to achieve effective collaborative learning during student interaction with OLC interfaces. Social cybernetic theory assumes that social interaction among individuals in a social group is a closedloop (cybernetic) process, in which each participant behaviourally tracks and controls sensory feedback generated by movements of other partners in the group. The theory recognizes many different modes of social tracking, among them series-linked, parallel-linked, imitative, supervisory, mediated, individual-group, intra-group, and inter-group social tracking, representing different human factors designs of social interaction. Relative to the physical classroom, these modes of social tracking are either severely degraded or nonexistent in the CSL classroom. That is, typical CSL (including OLC) environments replace social tracking with informational tracking to support student learning. Introduced here are strategies for strengthening the social cybernetic designs of OLC environments in order to enhance the learning effectiveness of OLCs.