Daniel D. Suthers - Brief Vita, August 2011


Research Activity

General research area: Cognitive, social and computational perspectives on designing and evaluating software for learning, collaboration, and community.

Current focus: Representational affordances in computer supported collaborative learning. Specifically, designing software interfaces to enable learners to construct, discuss, and manipulate representations of their evolving knowledge, and the study of how the notations used in these interfaces affect discourse between learners and learning outcomes.

Uncovering how participants appropriate multiple notational tools in computer workspaces for intersubjective meaning-making, and the roles of language-based and visual/symbolic representations.

Social affordances for online communities, including support for multiple communities and pathways by which participants can discover synergistic value in the larger community.

Prior Activity and Related Interests: Coaching agents, component technology and interoperability (especially at the semantic level), computer mediated communication (including argumentation), cultural issues in collaborative learning, identity and roles in virtual worlds, networked architectures for collaborative and intelligent learning systems, usability.

Positions Held

2008-Present
Professor, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
2007-2011
Program Chair, Communication and Information Sciences Ph.D. Program
2003-2008
Associate Professor, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
2003-2007
Graduate Program Chair, Computer Science M.S. & Ph.D. Program
1998-2003
Assistant Professor, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Manoa.
1995-1998
Adjunct Faculty, Information Science department, University of Pittsburgh.
1992-1998
Research Associate, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh.

Education

1988-1993
Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Massachusetts (February 1993)
1985-1988
M.S., Computer Science, University of Massachusetts
1982-1985
Master's Program in Psychology, Northern Arizona University (no degree)
1974-1979
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Kansas City Art Institute

Dissertation

Title
An Analysis of Explanation and its Implications for the Design of Explanation Planners
Committee
Edwina Rissland (chair), Victor Lesser, Klaus Schultz, Beverly Woolf
I analyzed the control and information processing requirements for computer generation of textual explanations, and designed and implemented a question answering system in basic electronics based on this analysis.

Funded Research

2009-2012
NSF VOSS Grant #0943147: $382,421 awarded to the University of Hawai‘i for “Traces—Understanding Distributed Socio-Technical Systems,” 2009-2012. Principal Investigator.
2006-2008
HiMax Research & Development (an industry consortium): $1,034,927 awarded to the University of Hawai‘i for “Applications in Ubiquitous Wireless Environments,” 2006-2008. Principal Investigator (sponsoring Samuel Joseph, co-PI).
2006-2008
Cerego Hawai‘i LLC: $451,364.86 awarded to the University of Hawai‘i for “Learning and Retention of Paired Associate Material using Personalized Online Multimedia Study,” 2006-2008. Principal Investigator (sponsoring Samuel Joseph, co-PI).
2001-2006
NSF CAREER Grant: $402,755 awarded to University of Hawai`i for "Collaborative Representations: Supporting Online Knowledge-building Discourse," 2001-2006. Principal Investigator.
2001-2006
NSF Rural Systemic Initiative Implementation Grant: $6,000,000 awarded to Hawai`i Department of Education for "Hawai`i Networked Learning Communities," 2001-2006, with a $1,234,732 University of Hawai`i subcontract. Co-Principal Investigator on the Department of Education grant (Vi Harada is PI), and Principal Investigator on the University of Hawai`i subcontract.
1999-2001
NSF Rural Systemic Initiative Development Grant: $191,764 awarded to Hawai`i Department of Education for "Hawai`i Networked Learning Communities," 1999-2001. Co-Principal Investigator with Vi Harada and Vicki Kajioka.
1999-2002
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation: $405,000 awarded to University of Hawai`i for "UH Asynchronous Learning Networks," 1999-2002. Co-Principal Investigator with Victor Kobayashi and Jaishree Odin.
1998-2002
Principal Investigator: The Effects of Representational Bias on Collaborative Learning Interactions, Learning and Intelligent Systems, National Science Foundation.
1998- 2003
Co-Principal Investigator with Anthony Alvarado, Elaine Fink, Alan Lesgold, and Lauren Resnick: NetLearn: Networked Learning Communities for Educational Reform, Technology Innovation Challenge Grant, US Department of Education. (Awarded to NYC Community School #2.)
1997-1998
Principal Investigator, with co-PIs Eva Toth and Arlene Weiner: "Scaling-up Implementation of Collaborative Critical Inquiry in the DoDDS Curriculum," Presidential Technology Initiative, DoDEA.
1995-1997
Co-principal investigator with Alan Lesgold, Sandy Katz, and Arlene Weiner: "Collaboration, Apprenticeship, and Critical Discussion: Groupware for Learning," Advanced Research Projects Agency, Computer Aided Education and Training Initiative.
1995-1997 (extended to March 1998)
Co-principal investigator with Alan Lesgold, Sandy Katz, and Arlene Weiner: "Extending the Sherlock Learning-by-Doing Approach to Work Force (Re)training," Advanced Research Projects Agency, Northeast Regional Consortium.
1994-1995
Co-principal investigator with Alan Lesgold and Arlene Weiner: "Tools for Thinking about Complex Issues in Science and Public Policy," National Science Foundation, Applications of Advanced Technology.

Selected Publications

Andriessen, J., Baker, M. & Suthers, D. (Eds., 2003),
Arguing to Learn: Confronting Cognitions in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Environments. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
Dwyer, N. & Suthers, D. D. (2006).
Consistent practices in artifact-mediated collaboration. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 1(4), 481-511.
Medina, R., Suthers, D., & Vatrapu, R. (2009).
Inscriptions becoming representations. In C. O'Malley, P. Reimann, D. Suthers & A. Dimitracopoulou (Eds.), Computer Supported Collaborative Learning Practices: CSCL 2009 Conference Proceedings (pp. 18-27). Rhodes, Greece: International Society of the Learning Sciences.
Suthers, D. D. (2006).
Technology affordances for intersubjective meaning making: A research agenda for CSCL. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (ijCSCL), 1 (3), 315-337.
Suthers, D. D. (2006).
A qualitative analysis of collaborative knowledge construction through shared representations. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning 1(2),1-28.
Suthers, D. D. (2008).
Empirical studies of the value of conceptually explicit notations in collaborative learning. In A. Okada, S. Buckingham Shum & T. Sherborne (Eds.), Knowledge Cartography (pp. 1-23). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Suthers, D. D., & Chu, K.-H. (2010).
Identifying mediators of socio-technical capital in a networked learning environment. In L. Dirckinck-Holmfeld, V. Hodgson, C. Jones, M. de Laat, D. McConnell & T. Ryberg (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Networked Learning (pp. 387-395). Aalborg, Denmark.
Suthers, D., Connelly, J., Lesgold, A., Paolucci, M., Toth, E., Toth, J., & Weiner, A. (2001).
Representational and Advisory Guidance for Students Learning Scientific Inquiry. In Forbus, K. D., and Feltovich, P. J. (2001). Smart machines in education: The coming revolution in educational technology. Menlo Park, CA: AAAI/Mit Press. pp. 7-35.
Suthers, D. D., Dwyer, N., Medina, R., & Vatrapu, R. (2010).
A framework for conceptualizing, representing, and analyzing distributed interaction. International Journal of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning, 5(1), 5-42.
Suthers, D., & Hundhausen, C. (2003).
An Empirical Study of the Effects of Representational Guidance on Collaborative Learning. Journal of the Learning Sciences 12(2), 183-219.
Suthers, D., Hundhausen, C., & Girardeau, L. (2003).
Comparing the roles of representations in face-to-face and online computer supported collaborative learning. Computers & Education, 41:335-351.
Suthers, D., Johnson, S., & Tillinghast, B. (2002).
Learning Object Meta-data for a Database of Primary and Secondary School Resources. Interactive Learning Environments 9(3), pp. 273-289.
Suthers, D. D., & Rosen, D. (2011).
A unified framework for multi-level analysis of distributed learning. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge, Banff, Alberta, February 27-March 1, 2011.
Suthers, D., Vatrapu, R., Medina, R., Joseph, S., & Dwyer, N. (2006).
Beyond Threaded Discussion: Representational Guidance in Asynchronous Collaborative Learning Environments. Computers & Education, 41:335-351. Available online January 7, 2007. DOI: 10.1016/j.compedu.2006.10.007
Suthers, D. D., Yukawa, J. & Harada, V. H. (2007).
An activity system analysis of a tripartite technology-supported partnership for school reform. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 2(2), 131-159.
Toth, E., Suthers, D., and Lesgold, A. (2002).
Mapping to know: The effects of evidence maps and reflective assessment on scientific inquiry skills. Science Education 86(2): 264-286.

Please see this page for longer list and access to PDF.

Other Activities

Journal editorial boards: International Journal of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (associate editor); Interactive learning Environments (editorial board); Journal of the Learning Sciences (formerly editorial board); Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning (former editor).

Conference related service: Program Co-chair for Computer Supported Collaborative Learning 2005 and 2009, and for International Conference on Computers in Education 2003; Pre-Conference Events, Workshop Program, and/or Interactive Events chair for numerous CSCL and ICLS conferences. Reviewing for AIED, CHI, CSCL, ICCE, ICLS, HICSS etc. conference too numerous to list.