Rethinking how we support online learning in the age of isolation and information abundance: An introduction to The CREATE system.

This paper introduces a new tool called the CREATE system, designed to help students develop their ability to manage collaborative discourse. It begins by defining what is meant by the term collaboration, why it is an essential skill, and the many problems associated with collaboration. The author proposes the CREATE system and activities like it as a potential solution to these problems. The paper then describes system features, shows examples of the system in use, presents findings from early evaluations of learning effectiveness and user satisfaction, discusses the potential for scaling, as well as the limitations of the system and future work. It concludes by pointing out the need to develop innately human higher-order skills that computers cannot emulate, such as collaboration. Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) researchers need to rethink what it means to learn in online contexts in order to begin to place greater value on the development of higher-order collective thinking skills and to work to develop tools and practices that help instructors and students better manage learning processes for themselves and their groups.