The Dialogue Design System (DDS) encourages the development of critical thinking, through the construction of reasonable and well-founded arguments and, therefore, it seems as an adequate strategy to encourage autonomous learning. Previous experiences using DDS in face-to-face and blended courses are promising to extend the model to online students.
DDS was developed by Makino in 2005. It is a teaching student centered model, based on Toulmin's argumentation model (1957). Through it, active participation of students is encouraged through provocation and questioning as well as the development of critical thinking and the construction of reasonable and well-founded arguments. It is for this reasons that DDS is considered to be an effective strategy to promote autonomous learning. in distance education environments.
During the last three years, teachers (mainly from the Open University Division of the Faculty of Law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico) have been trained in the model and support has been given to them through the semesters at the deployment phase. Among the results found in those experiences, the following were identified: students put into play complex cognitive skills linked to the search for information, documentation, research and foundation and; through teachers' reports, it is identified that students acquire a more active and critical role with respect to the object of study (Enríquez, Lastiri y Morales, 2017).
Based on these experiences, which have been carried out in face-to-face or blended modalities, there is the concern to extend the DDS model to online students as well to encourage the development of both, argumentative and autonomous learning skills. Some specific questions that emerge around DDS are the following:
- What skills related to argumentative exercise are promoted among students with the use of DDS?
- What specific processes and benefits of the proposed design intervene and how?
- What is the relationship between these skills and the increase in the capacity for autonomous learning?
- How could DDS be adapted for an online learning environment?
The general research proposal considers the design, development and evaluation of a tool based on the DDS model and, from its deployment, aims to evaluate the development of argumentative skills associated with the increase of autonomous learning capacity. Throughout this presentation we will address the first and third questions related with the argumentative skills enhanced by DDS and their relation with autonomous learning skills.
Methodology
The research project considers to use the methodological approach of Design Based Research (DBR) which allows, based on the aforementioned problem, to prepare the design of a solution that will be tested with end users. The three main phases involved are a) diagnosis and analysis; b) design and construction and c) deployment, evaluation and reflection.
As for the specific case of the learning assessment design sub-phase, the following activities are considered:
- To adapt (or to build) an argumentative skills evaluation instrument.
Because DDS is based on Toulmin’s argumentation model, it is natural to wonder which argumentative skills are being enhanced with the model but, among the different skills, we are specially interested in those requiered for written argumentation due to the fact that DDS works with an “idea card” for writing arguments.
- To search and review autonomous learning evaluation instruments.
One of the assumptions we have is that if, we improve argumentative skills like the ones that DDS enhances, we also improve autonomous learning skills. For this reason, it is important to identify already proven, autonomous learning evaluation instruments that might help to assess the improvement of such skills in students.
- To build a relation schema between argumentative skills and autonomous learning skills.
If we are able to relate certain argumentative skills with autonomous learning skills, it will be easier to ensure that the improvement of argumentation, improves autonomous learning.
- To design the learning assessment process.
Once the instruments are designed (or selected), then it is necessary to design the way they will be used with students, within the use of the online system. Groups have to be chosen, periods of time for the evaluation, argumentative skills assessment; among others.
Results at the moment
Although there are several authors that link argumentative skills with the ability of autonomous learning (Cobb in Schwarz, 2009; Schwarz 2015, Andrews, 2010) many of their studies have been related with oral argumentation or argumentation among peers while the DDS model deals with written argumentative skills, mostly from an indvidual perspective. In this sense, the work of Deane and Song (2013) has been particularly useful.
We adapted and constructed a rubric from their CBAL ELA Competency Model and Provisional Learning Progression, in order to measure the level of expertise that students have in different and specific argumentative skills (Deane, Sabatini and O’Reilly, 2012) .
As for the autonomous learning instrument, we selectd Tassinari’s Dynamic autonomy model with descriptors and again, because it was originally built for language students, we adapted the model in order to have a general instrument, for students from different disciplines .
The other instrument that we have been developing is the relation schema among argumentative and autonomous learning skills. The schema is focused on two dimensions embebed in two kinds of learner autonomy: proactive autonomy and reactive autonomy. Strategies and abilities expected for the different dimensions are described and identified among agumentative skills.
Conclusions
Using argumentation models to enhance autonomous learning seems feasible, not only because of previous experiences reported by several authors but also because of the possibility to relate both concepts. In specific, DDS model has been a well accepted strategy between face to face teachers and students so we think it would be necessary to give this opportunity to other learning communities, like the ones that are learning online.
Discussion
21st century skills consider communication, problem solving, initiative and self-direction and it has become a great concern for educators, finding strategies and resources that will help them aknowledge these skills. Although we are still on an early stage of the research, we believe that this work will contribute, not only to online learning , but also to face to face and blended learning programs that are not necessary related with teaching languages nor literacy.