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.