MetaLab: supporting social grounding and group task management in CSCL environments through social translucence

Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments promote and enhance the ability of learners to participate in knowledge building communities through synchronous and asynchronous collaborative communication and interaction. The MetaLab project seeks to address the support for social grounding, the establishment of shared understanding, and mutual regulation, the task of constructing and monitoring group roles, responsibilities, and progress, in CSCL environments. The current prototype of the MetaLab is also described.