Session 5 group activity 1 -whether a series of standardized instruction involving general steps of each collaborative learning approach and their rel

The definition of online collaborative learning
Collaborative learning stands for various educational approaches of which collective intellectual effort by students, or students and teachers together are needed. (Goodsell et all, 1992) Currently the main learning approaches include cooperative learning, problem-centered instruction, writing groups, peer teaching, and learning community. (Goodsell et all, 1992)

Though collaboration learning may be carried out in different ways, all of them share the following similarities: students are learning in the unit of a small group of two or more with some specific learning goals. The learning goals could be the understanding of some particular knowledge, the solution to a question, or the creation of some products relevant to what they learnt.

The advancement of technology helps collaborative learning online become possible and desirable. Online Collaborative Learning (OCL) is defined as “the use of asynchronous computer communication networks to provide social spaces for communities to collaboratively participate in the construction of knowledge” (Belanger, 2011). OCL is an educational approach that emphasizes active and collective efforts of participation and interaction of both students and the teachers primarily by communication via the Internet (Zhan, 2008).

The benefit derived from online collaborative learning
The traditional instruction approach is represented by teachers’ role as a presenter and classroom’s center. Knowledge instructed through this way is believed as something that exists outside students and could only be passively ingested. Jonassen, in press; Papert, 1993). Comparatively, collaboration learning stands for an obvious transform from the traditional way. It is based on the assumption that learning is an active, constructive process and learners are different from each other. It is supposed that learning process involving "individual constructions of knowledge" can make learning to its fullest extent. (Rieber, L. P. 1992)

Besides the learning result, it is also supposed that collaboration learning could help learners “build self-esteem”, “enhance satisfaction with the learning experience”, and “promotes a positive attitude toward the subject matter”. (Teaching Effectiveness Program, 2011)

Many scholars got the results from observations and case studies on the outcomes of online collaborative learning. Jonhson, Johnson and Smith (2007) did a research on collaborative learning and showed that collaborative learning had a lot of benefits and increase students’ academic success. However, online collaborative learning differs from traditional collaborative learning in communication situation, message exchange, cognitive load and participations of the learners (Hron & Friedrich, 2003).

Doran (2001) shows found that small groups within an asynchronous online graduate course enhanced student’s satisfaction and learning in his qualitative case study. Some of students are pursuing lifelong learning. They have to work in day time, and attend courses in the evening, so they have limited time to work with their classmates. Online collaborative learning helps them work together on the digital platform. According to Palmer and Holt (2010), it would be easier for on-campus students working in groups just to meet in-person, and off-campus students might prefer to work individually.

The possible problems learners may face in online collaboration learning
When learners who have no team study experience start their collaboration learning, they may feel very uncomfortable and have many problems, such as “Our group just isn't working out”, “Students won't want to work in groups”, or “How should a group work for this task”. (Davis G. B., 1993)

The problems are more serious when students can not arrange time to communicate face to face after class. If they get a group writing task, some of them may know nothing about any platform allowing them to work collaboratively. If they get a task of some design work, some may have difficulties in finding depository to store their collaborative work and communicating immediately online. These should have been no problems for computers and networks have already empowered people with so many solutions. However, due to the unfamiliarity with how team study works and what relevant tools to use, students will see them as problems in the initial stage, hence slowing down the learning process.

It interested our group that whether a series of standardized instruction involving general steps of each collaborative learning approach and their relevant ICT tools before the start of group work could improve the efficiency of team study.

References:

Belanger, Marc, (n.d.). Online Collaborative Learning: A Social Activity Retrieved June 16, 2011, from http://www.akcio-int.org/cl_social-1.pdf

Benefits of Collaborative Learning, teaching effectiveness program. (2011). Retrieved November 3, 2011, from
http://tep.uoregon.edu/resources/librarylinks/articles/benefits.html

Davis G. B. (1993). Tools for Teaching. Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco.

Doran, C. (2001). The effective use of learning groups in online education. AddedHorizons in Adult Education, 15(2), 20-28.

Goodsell A., Maher M., Tinto V., Smith B. & MacGregor J. (1992). Collaborative Learning: A Sourcebook for Higher Education. National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning, and Assessment at Pennsylvania State University.

Hron, A., & Friedrich, H. F. (2003). A review of web-based collaborative learning: Factors beyond technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 19, 70-79.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (2007). The state of cooperative learning in postsecondary and professional settings. Educational Psychology Review, 19, 15-29.

Jonassen, D. H. (in press). Mindtools in schools. New York: Macmillan Publishing.
Rieber, L. P. (1992). Computer-based microworlds: A bridge between constructivism and direct instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 40(1), 93-106.

Palmer, Stuart & Holt, Dale (2010). Students’ perceptions of the value of the elements of an online learning environment: looking back in moving forward.

Zhan, Hong. (2008). The Effectiveness of Instructional Models with Collaborative Learning Approaches in Undergraduate Online Courses. Northern Arizona University.