Scaffolding student learning in information-dense technology-enhanced teaching and learning environments

This paper is fundamentally about supporting learning in technology-enhanced educational settings where students are often confronted with very large amounts of information, and where they are also required to exercise a great deal of independence as part of their learning activity. First, it outlines very briefly, the critical attributes of such educational settings, the challenges to learning that they pose, and some ways of supporting students in their learning as they are confronted with these challenges. The paper also discusses the pedagogical foundations for building these types of cognitive supports and discusses some preliminary work that is being carried out on these lines at The University of Melbourne in Australia.