The impact of scripted roles on online collaborative learning processes

This paper illustrates the experience gained within an online course, where a
collaborative technique, namely Role Play, was used within an asynchronous text-based
environment to trigger collaboration and interactions among students. In a pilot study, the
technique was analyzed using an evaluation model and two different means: on the one
hand, the content analysis carried out by the researchers of the messages exchanged by the
students during the Role Play; on the other, a questionnaire aimed at investigating students'
impressions concerning the technique itself. The aim of the study is twofold: to understand
the impact of the proposed roles on the online learning process, and to investigate whether
roles facilitated members' awareness of the overall process itself.