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.