Carpe diem: models and methodologies for designing engaging and interactive e-learning discourse

The authors argue that developments in e-learning dialogue should be predicated on pedagogically sound principles of discourse, and therefore, by implication, we need to develop methodologies which transpose (typically informal) models of educational dialogue into cognitive tools. A methodology of 'investigation by design' is described, which has been used to design computer-based dialogue games supporting conceptual change in science, based on the findings from empirical studies. An evaluation of two dialogue games for collaborative interaction: a facilitating game and a more informative elicit-inform game, has shown that they produce significant improvements in students' conceptual understanding, and they are differentially successful, depending on the nature of the conceptual difficulties experienced by the learners. The implications this study has for the role of collaborative dialogue in learning and designing interaction are discussed.