e-Learning and the Science of Instruction, 5th Edition

16Online Collaborative Learning

CHAPTER OUTLINE

• What Is Collaborative Learning?
• The Psychology of Collaborative Learning
• What Is Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL)?
• Principle 1: Design Tasks and Team Assignments to Foster Interdependence
  • Assign Complex Tasks
  • Promote Diverse Relevant Expertise Among Team Members
• Principle 2: Optimize Group Size, Prior Knowledge, and Collaboration Experience
• Principle 3: Consider Tradeoffs Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Collaboration
• Principle 4: Maximize Social Presence in Online Collaborative Environments
• Principle 5: Use Scripts to Optimize Team Outcomes
  • Structured Controversy
• What We Don’t Know About Online Collaborative Learning

CHAPTER SUMMARY

IN previous editions, we concluded that the research evidence was insufficient to offer firm guidelines regarding optimal use of computer-mediated collaborative learning. However, over the past 15 years, stimulated by increased reliance on remote work, an empirical research base has grown sufficiently to support several principles on when and how to leverage technology for collaborative learning. Optimal learning from online collaboration will depend on appropriate decisions regarding the collaborative assignment, the collaborative group, and technology features. The principles we include in this chapter address the following questions:

• Which types of collaborative assignments most benefit individual learning?
• What are optimal group sizes and group compositions? ...