A Collaborative and Adaptive Design Pattern for the "Students Team Achievement Divisions\´ Method: An Implementation within Learning Design-Based E-learning Systems

This paper presents an innovative description of the “Students Team Achievement Divisions” collaboration method, in the form of an online, adaptive collaborative design-pattern that has been constructed taking into account adaptation techniques, within the context of open-source learning design-based environments such as the Learning Activity Management System. This method is described with special reference to the learning of essential issues in Computer Science and especially in the area of Information Systems. These issues include an understanding of: (a) the realization of the importance and the reasons of using Information Systems in big industries and organizations, (b) the familiarization of students with the practical uses of Computer Science and especially of the uses of Information Systems, and (c) realization of the wide impact of Computer Science in the human life and especially in the work place. The innovative description of the aforementioned collaborative method within the Learning Activity Management System is based on the fact that: (a) the tasks assigned to the groups consist of investigation of real world scenarios, and not merely the study of learning material as is usually proposed, (b) adaptive techniques are integrated with the method and (c) for the design of the collaborative learning activity, an intuitive learning design tool such as the Learning Activity Management System is used.