Please see my web page at: http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/ltc/CohenA/
Interests:
Through my research, I have developed an appreciation of the relevance of,
and interactions between individuals, cultures, and the affordances of the
information technologies used to facilitate learning and collaboration in
information-rich environments. My work has also led me to recognize that
learning and collaborating with information technologies requires cross
disciplinary study and interdisciplinary solutions. The focus of my
current research program is to (a) examine the nature of learning in
organizations, with an emphasis on the cultural mediators for learning
across diverse organizations (schools, government organizations, community
groups, scientific research groups, and corporations); (b) study the
development and use of collaborative information technologies and their
affordances for learning among both co-located and geographically dispersed
members of different organizations; and (c) study the development and use
of collaborative information technologies to support metacognitive
strategies facilitating knowledge advances in diverse organizations (i.e.
collaborative tools for representation, navigation and assessment of
complex information systems).
CV:
ANDREW L. COHEN
HOME ADDRESS PROFESSIONAL ADDRESS
1008 19th Ave. S. Apt. 5a Learning Technology Group
Nashville, TN Vanderbilt University
37212 Box 45, Peabody
(615) 329-8905 Nashville, TN 37203-0045
(615) 329-8905
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Doctor of Philosophy
Center for Applied Cognitive Science
Ph.D. Cognitive Science
Ph.D. Minor: Computer Science
University of Toronto (OISE)
Degree: 10/1995
Adviser: Dr. Marlene Scardamalia
Master of Science
Physics
University of Arizona, Tucson, 1989
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
James S. McDonnell Post-doctoral Fellow, 1995-present
Learning Technology Center
Vanderbilt University
&
Department of Computer Science
University of Toronto
* Teacher Support in Educational Change: An Investigation of Potential
Learning Environments. This research investigates the role of reflection to
support teachers in their attempts to restructure classroom learning
environments. The two studies focus on the development of multimedia
software to facilitate reflection in local and geographically dispersed
communities.
Post-doctoral Fellow, 1995-present
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
* In collaboration with Dr. Dan Keating, we are investigating the role of
collaborative multimedia software in facilitating cultures of learning in
diverse organizational settings.
Ph.D. Thesis research, 1991-1995
Center for Applied Cognitive Science
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
Advisor: Dr. Marlene Scardamalia
* My dissertation, entitled "A Culture of Understanding: An Examination of
Face-to-Face and Computer Mediated Environments" argued that schools should
foster cultures of understanding, that is, student communities that
actively inquire and intentionally build common knowledge structures. The
thesis, comprising one study, with two separate but interrelated
investigations, analyzed the affordances of the Computer-Supported
Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE) (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1993) as
compared to face-to-face collaboration for supporting cultures of
understanding.
PUBLICATIONS (refereed)
Cohen, A. (in press). A Culture of Understanding: An Examination of
Face-To-Face and Computer Mediated Environments. To be published in the
proceedings of ICLS 96--International Conference on the Learning
Sciences..
Cohen, A., Friedlander, N., Baecker, R., & Rosenthal, A. (in press). MAD:
A Movie Authoring and Design System - Making Classroom Process Visible. To
be published in the proceedings of ICLS 96--International Conference on
the Learning Sciences..
Cohen, A., Candland, K., Lee, E. (July, 1995). The effect of a teacher
designed assessment tool on an instructor's cognitive activity. In (Eds.)
K. Nordby, P. Helmersen, D.J. Gilmore, & S.A. Arnesen. Human-Computer
Interaction: The proceedings of Interact '95. July 1995.
Cohen, A. (1992b). A history of the development of the notion of 'quanta'
in physics and its implications for science education. Proceedings of the
Second International Conference on the History and Philosophy of Science in
Science Teaching. May 1992.