Background Information

iCamp project is a validation-driven project with the comprehensive goal of bringing solutions to improve the conceptual models and technological requirements for successful on-line cross-cultural collaborative learning.

At the root of three validation trials to be fulfilled several fundamental objectives lie:

• Validation and demonstration of the effectiveness of translating conceptual pedagogical models of social constructivist learning into actual educational practices.

• Validation and demonstration of the benefit and applicability of deploying the iCamp Space under true operational conditions of different Higher Education Institutions in the enlarged Europe.

• Validation and demonstration of the feasibility of internetworking the components of the iCamp Space.

• Gaining practical experience of intercultural computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) with users widely distributed in different Higher Education Institutions in the enlarged Europe and elaboration of optimal practices guidelines thereof.

• Validation and demonstration of the scalability of the iCamp Space as being deployed by user groups of different types (i.e. different combinations of educators and students with varying expertise and experience), sizes and geographical locations.

• Acquiring empirical evidence of multifarious impacts of building and involving in the intercultural virtual knowledge community on educators and students of Higher Education Institutions participating in the trials.

• Deepening understanding of the evolution process of virtual knowledge communities based on the social network analysis approach and identification of critical success factors aimed at upholding the communities in question.

• Validation and demonstration the effectiveness of different evaluation methods used for estimation of the utility and applicability of the iCamp Space.

While the first trial scheduled to October – December 2006 will be rather of experimental nature, the second and the third ones are supposed to be diagnostic and summative respectfully.

Besides the abovementioned challenges iCamp faces those dealing with evaluation.

For this purpose a ValNET matrix-based generic evaluation framework was developed: two basic evaluation objects, namely Products/Resources (e.g. technological platforms, communication tools and educational material) and Results (e.g. outcomes and impacts) were analyzed pertaining to five dimensions – technological, pedagogical, cultural, institutional and economic. This generic framework is assumed to be applicable for the three iCamp validation trials.

While VaINET framework is sensible on a generic level, focusing on data identification (i.e. which data to be acquired), data source (i.e. who provides the data) and data collection (i.e. how the data to be captured), the evaluation framework was further extended into data analysis involving three areas of challenges (cross-cultural collaboration (CCC), self-directed learning (SDL) and social networking (SNW).

The research question for the first validation trial is illustrated in the table below: