Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is based on the view that knowledge is a social construct. Collaborative activities are most often based on four principles:
- The learner or student is the primary focus of instruction.
- Interaction and “doing” are of primary importance.
- Working in groups is an important mode of learning.
- Structured approaches to developing solutions to real-world problems should be incorporated into learning.
Preparation
Guiding questions when planning a collaborative learning community
- Have I built in CLC-related learning objectives into my syllabus?
- Have I embedded an explanation about the CLC into my course syllabus?
- Have I attended a technology training session in the room?
- Do I feel comfortable using all of the technological features of the CLC?
- Have I designed an orientation for my students to the room?
- Have I designed group projects that will best utilize the space?
- Have I created support resources to ensure effective group work and collaboration during in-class time?
- Have I designed activities for the space that will encourage students to utilize technology for the purpose of enhancing their learning?
- Have I considered how best to collect feedback throughout the course about how the CLC space is contributing to student learning?
Questions for activities and strategies
- What kind of group work will best help my students learn the course materials and meet my objectives?
- Are cooperative, collaborative, team-based, or problem-based learning strategies appropriate for my course?
- What can I do to ensure that I will be using the space as effectively as possible to aid student learning?
- What kinds of activities can I build into the course in terms of assignments or in-class work that will best utilize the unique aspects of the classroom space?
- Have I considered how best to collect feedback throughout the course about how the CLC space is contributing to student learning?
Definitions, examples, course goals and learning objectives
Collaborative
Definition: “In collaborative learning, the focus is on working with each other (but not necessarily interdependently) toward the same goal…toward discovering, understanding, or production of knowledge” (Davidson & Major, 2014, p. 21).
Examples: Reports or presentations in which tasks are split among group members
Goal: Upon successful completion of this course, students will know/understand the characteristics of effective collaboration.
Objective: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to consider the contributions of others.
Cooperative
Definition: “Students work and learn together actively in small groups to accomplish a common goal in a mutually helpful manner” (Davidson & Major, 2014, p. 14); this group work can be structured or unstructured.
Examples: Jigsaw activities, think/pair/share, three-step interview
Goal: Upon successful completion of this course, students will understand the dynamics of effective group communication.
Objective: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to contribute questions or concerns in a respectful way.
Team-Based
Definition: “TBL shifts the focus of instruction away from the teacher as a dispenser of information and instead places the focus on students actively engaging in activities that require them to use the concepts to solve problems… every aspect of a TBL course is specifically designed to foster the development of self-managed learning teams” (Michaelsen, Davidson, & Major, 2014, p. 58).
Examples: Flipped classroom model
Goal: Upon successful completion of this course, students will know/understand the importance of a shared goal.
Objective: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to develop a common goal.
Problem-Based
Definition: “PBL fosters the ability to identify the information needed for particular applications, where and how to seek that information, how to organize that information in a meaningful conceptual framework, and how to communicate that information to others” (Duch, Groh, & Allen, 2001, p. 7); PBL is often interdisciplinary with “real world” applications.
Examples: Case method, simulated client interaction
Goal: Upon successful completion of this course, students will better understand the importance of approaching problems in a real-life context.
Objective: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to apply the problem-based learning cycle (identify facts, generate hypotheses, identify knowledge deficiencies, apply new knowledge, abstraction, evaluation) to a unique situation (Hmelo-Silver, 2004).
Collaborative learning assessment
An important component of collaborative learning is formative and summative assessment; that is, providing a variety of feedback opportunities during and at the end of the group project. “Individual and collective assessments are complimentary and allow instructors to encourage individual achievement while promoting a culture of shared purpose and learning” (EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. Unit 4: Assessment of Collaborative Learning Project Outcomes).
Assessment components
Student reporting is an integral part of the feedback process both during the project and at the end of the project. Working with your students to create a reporting timeline and checklist shares the reporting responsibility and, at the same time, gives students a voice and ownership in the process.
Students will benefit from different types of assessments. Providing learning objectives for individual learning as well as for group learning help students understand their responsibilities as learners and as members of a group.
Collective assessment
Team assessment is focused on collaboration among team members and requires participation of each individual to meet the learning objective(s) for the team. Assessments may include presentations or other types of final projects.
Peer review
Researchers suggest that peer review is another good way to further involve students in active learning. CATME, Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness, offers a Self and Peer Evaluation Tool.
Individual assessment
Faculty can provide or facilitate the creation of tools that are designed to help the student see the value of their contribution to the group. These tools may include self-assessments, instructor assessments, or, in some cases, external assessments (alumni, internship supervisors, etc.).
Resources
7 Things You Should Know About Collaborative Learning Spaces
Alternative classroom designs have emerged that support collaborative learning and shift the focus away from lecture-based formats. Collaborative learning spaces generally involve new construction or the wholesale renovation of existing rooms, and they typically feature the ability to reconfigure seating to accommodate a variety of teaching methods. Such spaces enable alternative pedagogies that allow for more inquiry and investigative work, and they empower students to explore course content and ideas in an environment that has multiple points from which learning may emerge.
SCALE-UP
SCALE-UP stands for “Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies.” (The name was originally “Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Physics” but since then many different institutions are teaching a variety of courses of various sizes. The “upside-down” part is explained below.) The basic idea is that you give students something interesting to investigate. While they work in teams, the instructor is free to roam around the classroom–asking questions, sending one team to help another, or asking why someone else got a different answer. There is no separate lab class and most of the “lectures” are actually class-wide discussions. We carefully structure the groups and give them many opportunities to interact. Three teams (named a, b, and c) sit at a round table and have whiteboards nearby. Each team has a laptop in case they need web access. At NC State (the original site) classes usually have 11 tables of nine students, but many schools have smaller classes while a few have even larger ones.
CLC design and technology spaces
Three Collaborative Learning Classrooms located in Suffolk’s 20 Somerset building (rooms 114, 214, 314) have been designed to provide a student-centered technology-rich learning space. Each CLC offers round tables with seating for six students, a seating style that promotes discussions, peer/instructor review and coaching, multiple projection systems to allow students to see and showcase their group work, and a teaching station that allows for control of all student projection systems from one location.
Features
- Classroom 114 has 10 student tables with 6 seats per table and 7 high-definition projectors
- Classroom 214 has 7 student tables with 6 seats per table and 6 high-definition projectors
- Classroom 314 has 7 student tables with 6 seats per table and 6 high-definition projectors
What they include
- Each table is equipped with electrical, data and video projection connectivity for one student laptop allowing one computer per table to be projected on any one, all or a combination of the projectors
- A teaching station with a simple, intuitive, touch-panel based control of all classroom technology including all of the projector systems
- A desktop computer at the teaching station
- A connection to the projection system for the faculty member’s own laptop computer
- A Blu-Ray player
- Sound reinforcement for both the media sources as well as the faculty member’s voice via a wireless lavaliere (clip-on) microphone allowing hands-free, amplified speech
Collaborative learning faculty community & support
Faculty are invited to participate in the Collaborative Learning Faculty Community. Contact the CTSE to enroll in the group site, where participants can access collaborative learning classroom activities, resources, and discussion groups.
For support with technology training in CLCs, contact Media Services. For support with classroom pedagogy, contact the CTSE.
References
- Davidson, N. & Major, C.H. (2014). Boundary crossings: Cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and problem-based learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25(3&4), 7-55.
- Duch, B.J., Groh, S.E., & Allen, D.E., eds. (2001). The power of problem-based learning: A practical ‘how to’ for teaching undergraduate courses in any discipline. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
- Hmelo-Silver, C.E. (2004). Problem-based learning. What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3): 235-266.
- Michaelsen, L.K., Davidson, N. & Major, C.H. (2014). Team-based learning practices and principles in comparison with cooperative learning and problem-based learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 25(3&4), 57-84.
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