Conditions for successful online collaborative learning

As mentioned at the beginning of this module, successful collaborative learning is founded on five basic principles (i.e. positive mutual dependency, individual accountability, social skills, evaluation of the group process, direct interaction). It is important you pay attention to these five principles and create conditions that make these principles possible.

Attention for these prerequisites is especially important with online collaborative learning. With psychical collaborative learning you can adjust things in class, which is not the case for online collaborative learning. A good preparation with attention for the conditions mentioned below is essential.

Type of asignment

You  should opt for complex learning tasks for which students need each other to achieve the result. It is also recommended to provide small subtasks that address the responsibility of each team member. A couple of examples of complex, non-structured, learning tasks are: preparing a patient treatment plan, developing a small website, solving a case study.

Script

It is recommended to add a script or structure to the task that supports the interaction between the team members. A structure supports the group dynamics and stimulates the in-depth  learning process.

Examples of a script:

  • offering a roadmap
  • describe the minimal input of your students
  • give an overview of the elements that should at least be dealt with
  • attribute roles to your students, for example: the role of reporter, chairman, contributor, the one in charge of the summary,…

In the section ‘learn more’, the script ‘the hats of deBono’ is being explained. This script attributes divers roles to the students.  Assigning roles structures the collaboration and stimulates a certain depth. Originally, the script was not developed for online collaborative learning, but it can be applied in that context.

Social dependence

Collaborative learning is based on the dependence of each individual with regard to the group process. This social dependence is facilitated by the type of task and a script, but also by the following factors:

  • The size of the group. Avoid large groups so that every student can get to know the other students. Too large a group increases the risk of ‘lurking’ (= reading the contribution but making no contribution yourself). The ideal group size depends on the type of task but is situated around 10 persons.
  • The composition of the group. Heterogeneous groups (= students with a lot versus limited prior knowledge) are better for complex tasks than homogenous groups.
  • Concrete mutual goals. Specify criteria on the basis of which both the students and you can determine to what extent the predetermined goals are achieved. These criteria can relate to the product- (e.g a class preparation) as well as to a process (e.g. critical interactions).
  • Provide a balance  between the responsibilities of the group as an entity (e.g. the end product or the result of the collaboration) and the individual responsibility of your students (e.g. the input of your students). Give feedback to the group as well as to the individual students.
  • Formalize the online collaboration by taking it into account for the evaluation (e.g. by giving a score). If the collaborative learning is voluntary, students tend to neglect it when the work pressure  increases. Evaluation is further discussed in this module.

Quality of the communication

Social skills and direct interaction are important principles for collaborative learning.  Therefore, it is important that you also have an eye for the communication during the group process. You should also focus on:

  • the nature of the communication
  • in what way the roles are being fulfilled
  • quantity and quality of the interaction

More information regarding online coaching can be found in the module ‘e-coaching’.

LINKS

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