Abstract. This paper introduces an approach based on the 3C (communication, coordination and cooperation) collaboration model to the development of collaborative systems. The 3C model is studied by means of a detailed analysis of each of its three elements, followed by a case study of a learningware application and the methodology of a web-based course, both designed based on this model. Moreover, this paper describes a component-based system architecture following this 3C approach.

Computational support for collaboration may be realized through the interplay between communication, coordination, and cooperation tools. Communication is related to the exchange of messages and information among people; coordination is related to the management of people, their activities and resources; and cooperation is the production taking place on a shared workspace. This model, which we call the 3C model, was originally proposed by Ellis, Gibbs, and Rein (1991), with some terminological differences. Cooperation, which Ellis et al. denominates “collaboration,” here characterizes the joint operation in a shared workspace.

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The Coordination of interdependencies between tasks in collaborative environments is a very important and difJicult endeavor. The separation between tasks and interdependencies allows f o r the use of different coordination policies in the same collaborative environment by changing only the coordination mechanisms that control the interdependencies. This paper presents a framework for the definition of interdependencies that frequently occur in collaborative activities. By means of a clear characterization of interdependencies, it is possible to identib coordination mechanisms to manage them, opening the way toward a power@ coordination tool capable of encompassing a wide range of collaborative applications. An implementation of the coordination model of a collaborative virtual environment based on the proposed framework is given as example.

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