During distance learning, learners can sometimes feel isolated, which can be frustrating and demotivating. Sometimes this even leads to dropping out of the learning journey. Utilizing collaborative learning helps address this situation by giving learners the opportunity to exchange ideas and receive support from their peers. The sense of belonging to a group has a very positive effect on learning.
Project facilitation: Brings dynamism to the group. This is especially crucial when collaboration happens remotely. During in-person collaborative learning, facilitation occurs naturally, group engagement is fostered through human interaction.
Learner motivation: Learner participation is strongly linked to what motivates them in the project. If the work brings personal benefits upon completion, they'll be more motivated and produce better work.
Participation: Learners need to be consistent and available for their team. They should contribute, not hesitate to seek help from their peers, and offer assistance.
Group cohesion: It's highly important within a team. Allowing learners to choose their team members combines the pleasure of working together with the goal of achieving a common objective. If the team is harmonious, collaboration and the blending of skills are much better.
Productivity: The group's productivity is tied to its cohesion and the perception of learners' progress.
Interculturality should never be overlooked in group work. It enhances creativity—multicultural teams generate more ideas and analyze problems from different angles, something homogeneous teams are less inclined to do.
However, interculturality can also be a source of conflicts or misunderstandings. Language might be the first barrier, but values, work methods, and availability of each individual are also factors.
First and foremost, it's essential to clearly identify your approach. You need to embrace the principles of successful collaborative processes and understand the facilitating factors for it to be successful. Collaborative work isn't spontaneous; you need to define learners' collaborative contribution beforehand.
Learners need to know exactly what is expected of them and how to proceed. They must understand the connection between their tasks and the means they have to accomplish them. Collaborative work isn't an innate skill, it's learned and not improvised.
Social loafing can play a very negative role in collaborative work. It's a tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working collectively rather than individually. This social loafing can create conflicts within the team. Tensions among team members can weaken cohesion.
Digital tools need to be tailored to the project. Working remotely involves using numerous tools, which should be available and accessible to all. The most significant issue encountered is poor internet connectivity.
Time management also comes into play. Beware of learners located in different geographical areas who might not be available at the same time. Also, be cautious with learner-initiated courses—if they have other professional or personal commitments and aren't available.
Lack of responsiveness can be perceived as disinterest by other team members!
Exploring prior knowledge and material: Learners familiarize themselves with the work to be done, research information, identify concepts, and strategize.
Developing the knowledge model: Sharing ideas and reflections with the whole group. This phase involves learners sharing ideas, discussing, and taking initiative. They need to negotiate, find agreement, and make decisions.
Evaluating learning and the process: Individual or group assessments of collaboration, contribution to the group, and adopted strategies.
Various task management software exists. Those in the form of Kanban (a Japanese term) are very popular. For instance, Trello is a free software that allows you to organize projects using a board filled with "cards" or "labels," sorted based on importance or task progress.
Communication is one of the keys to successful collaborative learning, so provide your learners with necessary communication tools. You can choose synchronous tools (live chat) or asynchronous tools (forums).
