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Lesson 5 - Theories of Learning

26. Online Collaborative Learning

Collaborative group work. In this example the teacher has organized a class of 19 students into six groups. The teacher can interact with individual students or with each group as a whole. In online collaborative learning each group can have its own discussion area which can be ‘closed’ (except to the teacher) or open to the other students. In this model, all communication is textual, over the Internet, using online discussion forum software. However, the model could be applied to video-conferencing, but usually with smaller numbers of students due to bandwidth restrictions, or to classroom teaching. Each mode of delivery though will need its own variations in design for it to work well. Image: Tony Bates, 2019.