# Integrating Assessment in a CSCL Macro-Script Authoring Platform
## 3 Assessment Integration in CSCL Scripts
### Conditional Execution of Script Phases  
We additionally enrich COSTLy grammar with the capability of the conditional execution of phases in the context of the known \"if-else\" programming construct, such as in the following two examples (Listings 3 and 4):  
```
phase A if(condition) phase B else phase C
```
phaseA group_results=assess(resource1_url) if(condition) phaseB else repeat_phase(phaseA,resource2_url)
```
The example of the grammar construct _repeat_phase(phaseA)_ obviously denotes that if the condition is unmet, the group should repeat the _phaseA_ of the script. The \"condition\" refers to any valid COSTLy expression [15], which is evaluated to a boolean value. For example, a user can combine Listings 2 and 4 as follows (Listing 5):
```
phaseA group_results=assess(resource1_url) if(min(group_result)>5) phaseB else repeat_phase(phaseA,resource2_url)
```

**Listing 5** Repeat phase A, if necessary after assessment results. The above example may denote that a group can proceed to phase B of the script only if the minimum grade achieved by some members of the group is greater than 5. Otherwise, the specific group should repeat phase A, taking into account the resource provided that may include the teacher's feedback, additional study material, etc. This resource also has to be specified by the teacher during the instantiation of the script. There are numerous proposals for assessment plans in the educational research field [24; 25; 26]. Some of them focus on the need for assessing a person's progress and achievements, while others, in the context of a collaborative activity, try to verify group performance, successes and failures along with the individual contributions to them. Especially, in a collaborative activity, an appropriate strategy for assessment will also motivate pupils to being profoundly more involved in the specific learning process [26]. Our approach for CSCL scripts' authoring does not propose any specific assessment plan to the users. It relies on the teacher's experience to select whatever suits the needs of a specific enactment paradigm of a script. This selection will be made at the instantiation phase of the script's life cycle. In recent years, due to social circumstances and needs, several tools have been developed to simplify the production of educational material. An example of this is \(h5p\)[27], by \"which authors may create and edit interactive videos, presentations, games, advertisements and more.\" [27]. H5p users can easily import, export or share their creations. Several researchers have investigated the impact of using these techniques in active peer learning or in collaborative activities [28; 29]. Exported objects can easily be connected to COSTLyP, offering rich educational material with the integrated assessment's activities. ### Conditional Jigsaw Example with Assessment

Implementing all the above in COSTLyP, users are capable of authoring more complicate scripts. For example, below, a conditional version of the known Jigsaw script is presented in the visual form within the COSTLyP editor (Figure 7). ## 4 Conclusions and Future Work

The representation of a CSCL script using COSTLy may offer a lot of advantages in the context of the effort to write more adaptive scripts. The implementation of conditional execution of the script's phases, such as the Jigsaw script version shown in Figure 7, clearly provides a new idea, a methodology in which assessment results can influence the time evolution of the script itself. COSTLyP can assist an educational designer or a teacher to construct scripts that will take into account the assessed results of a collaborative activity versus their expected goals. In this way, when teachers enact those scripts in their classrooms, they can have a significant coordinating equipment that will allow them to adjust their feedback to whole groups, or to specific members of a group or to assess each individual's efforts. We are aware that some programming structures may hinder the acceptance of this approach from the educators.