ESCOLA Module 5 Collaborative Learning in Virtual Environments

Module 5 - Collaborative Learning
in Virtual Environments
This programme has been funded with
support from the European Commission

Objective:
This module aims to demonstrate that a big change of
traditional learning environments has already started to
happen with the help of ICTs, which are transforming those
spaces into collaborative virtual spaces. New generations of
students require more attention on the technological
aspects of the educational spaces and this module will help
the teachers to adapt to the new demand.
Expected learning outcomes:
• Discover different virtual learning platforms and its
key features
• Understand the importance of using virtual
learning platforms in nowadays education system
• Learn how to how to create an impactful virtual
learning environment
INTRODUCTION
Collaborative learning is an educational approach to teaching and learning that involves groups of students
working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. In the modern classroom, collaborative
learning happens not only in the classroom but also in virtual learning environments that offer students and
learners the opportunity to connect and learn outside of the class. Technology can encourage collaboration with
students in the same classroom, same school and even with other classrooms around the world.
ESCOLA | DIGITAL TEACHING TOOLS FOR ENGINEERING LABS

Key features of Virtual Learning
Environments
Types of Virtual Learning
Environments
Collaborative Learning Spaces01
02
03
04
Creating a Collaborative Virtual
Learning Environment
Collaborative Learning in Virtual
Environments
05
This programme has been funded with support from the European Commission. The author is
solely responsible for this publication (communication) and the Commission accepts no
responsibility for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
06 Summary

1. Collaborative Learning Spaces

Collaborative Learning is widely practiced whether its
via group work, peer learning or bringing in outside
expertise into the classroom. It can be as simple as a five
minute in class exercise or as complex as a group project.
Students who engage in collaborative learning learn
significantly more, remember it longer, and develop
better critical-thinking skills than their counterparts in
traditional lecture classes.
Collaborative learning helps students develop the skills
necessary to work on projects too difficult and complex
for any one person to do in a reasonable amount of time.
Watch this video and learn how
and why collaboration and collaborative learning is
important
https://youtu.be/Po40I4c94R0
WHAT IS COLLABORATION AND
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING?

• an active process rooted in a social environment where conversation
between learners takes place
• more about processing and synthesising information rather than simply
memorising and regurgitating it
• diverse and fluid and sees the learner benefit from being exposed to different
viewpoints from people with varied backgrounds
• rooted in deep, academic learning, and/or transformative learning and the
development of a range of high level intellectual skills, such as critical
thinking, analytical thinking, synthesis, and evaluation
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IS…

Watch and hear one young
engineers experience of
collaboration and collaborative
learning.
WATCH
https://youtu.be/Fd_nkBHgX8s ESCOLA | DIGITAL TEACHING TOOLS FOR ENGINEERING LABS

• Students work cooperatively rather than competitively
• Enhances self-management skills
• Involves students in developing curriculum and class procedures resulting in learners having increased control over learning.
• Uses a team approach to problem solving while maintaining individual accountability
• Stimulates critical thinking and helps students clarify ideas through discussion and debate
• Develops higher level thinking skills
• Students are taught how to criticize ideas, not people. Greater ability of students to view situations from others' perspectives
(development of empathy)
• Creates a stronger social support system
• Encourages alternate student assessment techniques
• Addresses learning style differences among students
• Classroom anxiety is significantly reduced
• CL processes create environments where students can practice building leadership skills.
BENEFITS OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING FOR STUDENTS

• Enhances student satisfaction with the learning experience
• Encourages student responsibility for learning
• Promotes innovation in teaching and classroom techniques
• CL activities promote social and academic relationships well beyond the classroom and individual course
• Students master knowledge through constructing content rather than through memorizing content
• Promotes a positive attitude toward the subject matter
• Develops oral communication skills and social interaction skills and encourages diversity understanding
• Creates an environment of active, involved, exploratory learning and fosters and develops interpersonal relationships
• Test anxiety is significantly reduced
• Promotes higher achievement
• CL activities can be used to personalize large lecture classes
• Classroom resembles real life social and employment situations
BENEFITS OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING FOR TEACHERS

Learning Spaces are any place that learning takes place – they are classrooms, indoor
or outdoor locations, and can be either actual or virtual.
Learning Spaces can tailored to support a variety of pedagogies, including quiet study,
passive or active learning, kinaesthetic or physical learning, vocational learning,
experiential learning, and others.
Learning spaces are highly diverse in use and can be configured to suit learning styles,
different locations, and different educational institutions.
WHAT ARE COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWEwv_qobpU
THE CLASSROOM
Check out a Collaborative
Learning School and Classroom
in practice!
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES

The concept of the connected classroom allows teachers to create a more dynamic
classroom experience and make the most of their scarce time.
Connected classrooms provide both teachers and students easier, faster, and more
affordable access to information, learning resources, experts, peers, and a wider
community of educators.
In the connected classroom, every student and teacher will have his or her own tablet.
The traditional blackboard will be replaced by a projector or large screen, because the
connected classroom is – by definition – a multi-screen ecosystem
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES THE CLASSROOM

Collaborative learning in the classroom represents a significant
shift away from the traditional teacher-centered classrooms.
Collaborative learning in the classroom is student-centered
and usually focuses on group work.
In the collaborative classroom, teachers assume the leadership
role of group work in the classroom and ensure that the
purpose and process of collaboration are clearly defined.
COLLABORATION IN THE CLASSROOM

There are five key components to successful collaboration in the classroom:
• POSITIVE INTERDEPENDENCE (each individual depends on and is accountable to the others)
• INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY (each person in the group learns the material)
• PROMOTIVE INTERACTION (group members help one another, share information, offer clarifying explanations)
• SOCIAL SKILLS (leadership, communication)
• GROUP PROCESSING (assessing how effectively they are working with one another)
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES THE CLASSROOM

“Learning spaces in the 21st century need to
foster discovery, innovation, and scholarship,
not simply contain them.”
https://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102i.pdf

Learning Outside the Classroom is the use of places
other than the classroom for teaching and learning.
It is about getting learners out and about, providing
them with challenging, exciting and different
experiences to help them learn.
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) is a set of
teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a
student's learning experience by including computers
and the Internet in the learning process.
A VLE creates opportunities for interactive discussions,
online collaboration activities, sharing and accessing
electronic learning resources and many others.
VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

2. Key features of Virtual Learning Environments

• Communication – opens up an infinite number of channels in the format of forums, discussion
threads, polls, surveys – instant feedback either as a group or individually
• Producing work – students do not physically have to find their teacher to hand in work due to secure
virtual ‘hand-in’ folders that have time windows
• Resource hub – teachers have infinite online storage space for ppts, docs, worksheets etc. that can
either be secure or shared with students
VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
FEATURES OF

• Dynamic home pages – teachers have the opportunity to create an exciting virtual space to represent
their room/subject
• Embedded content – YouTube, newspapers can all be embedded as the dynamic feed of the
homepage
• Podcasts & videos – both teacher- and student-produced podcasts and videos have a shared
platform; again, either secure or shared
FEATURES OF

• Social media and things like online forums are being used to encourage students to communicate
about class work, discuss theories and challenges, and learn from each other.
• Cloud-based apps, like Google’s Drive and Dropbox, allow students to share work and collaborate
outside of school.
• Other collaborative tools include Padlet, Popplet, Skype for example.. Here is a link to many others -
https://www.commonsense.org/education/top-picks/best-student-collaboration-tools
FEATURES OF

3. Types of Virtual Learning Environments

Elearning Websites are websites that incorporate
online learning via a learner management system.
A learning management system (LMS) is a software
application for the administration, documentation,
tracking, reporting and delivery of educational
courses or training programs.
Types of Virtual Learning Environments
E-LEARNING WEBSITES

Forums are online discussion boards where teachers and students can
create and engage in meaningful interactions about course topics or
lessons.
• They are usually reflective in nature. It also provides students with
“think time” to reflect on course material and post more thought-out
comments to the discussion board
• Students and instructors often think of comments or questions after
the lecture and can post them and discuss these inquiries online.
• Students engage in peer learning and expand their personal
knowledge-base through the back-and-forth engagement and
interaction with other classmates sharing insights, perspectives, points-
of-view, as well as their personally held information and knowledge.
• Because the forum discussions occur completely online, students have
the flexibility to add their input when they are prepared. Some choose
to answer questions immediately, while others prefer to consider the
responses of others first.
FORUMS

Social Media has the ability to transform teaching/learning
into a more social, open, and collaboration-oriented
endeavour.
• Facebook can be used as a learning tool to connect
students
• A Wiki can be especially useful in collaborative projects or
as a blog interface for feedback and interactive learning
• YouTube enables students to learn, seek information and
form social relationships around uploaded videos
• Twitter can be used to real-time communication into the
classroom – check out the hashtag #edchat to see it in
action!
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1472811717303051
SOCIAL MEDIA

Some collaborative learning groups for you to join:
Mobile and Digital Elearning Tools
International Student Entrepreneurship Community for Teachers and Students
PRACTICAL EXERCISE
Some collaborative peer learning groups you might like to join

Youtube is a great entertainment tool and learning tool as well.
Everyone can create their own channel, share their videos, and
comment on others.
Teacher can create their own channels, record class lessons and post
them online so they students can watch it to enhance their
understanding of knowledge they learned.
It is also helpful for kids who miss classes since they can check videos
to catch up. If they have any questions, they can leave comments and
teacher can answer their questions later.
In addition, instead of always handing in hard copy homework,
teachers can ask students to record a video about things they are
learning to make the assignments diverse and interesting.
They can also give students links of videos for students to check as
assignments.
YOUTUBE

Educational apps have become incredibly popular among
students of all ages. Apps need to be very simple to use
and available for all kinds of smartphones and tablets.
Designed correctly, learning via education apps is:
• Very interactive
• Highly entertaining
• Available 24/7
EDUCATION APPS

Online Education Games can be an effective tool for
learning. They are known to:
• engage students, particularly disaffected students
• make learning fun, interactive, and stimulating
• improve their grasp and retention across a wide
spectrum of subject matter
• can help learners develop skills and intuition and
improve their problem solving.
ONLINE EDUCATION GAMES

Kahoot! is a new take on quizzing.
Combining game-based learning,
ease-of-use and mobile technology,
Kahoot! creates an engaging social
experience, leaving everyone totally
gripped and absorbed in your content.
www.kahoot.com
PRACTICAL EXERCISE
Time to try Kahoot!

Virtual field trips can facilitate all kinds of
learning experiences.
They could take the form of a virtual tour
of a facility, a conversation with an expert,
a show-and-tell session with museum
artifacts or a collaborative activity with
another classroom across the globe.
360 Videos are also a great way of
bringing a virtual field trip to life in the
classroom or on your VLE.
Check out this 360 Video of a Thrift
Suspension Bridge over the Alps -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTl2Z2jiX_c
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP

4. Collaborative Learning in Virtual Environments

Online learning doesn’t necessarily mean learning
in isolation. Learners connect with their classmates
(be they real or virtual) on social media or on
online course forums.
For some online learning can enhance the learning
experience, especially those who might be
introverted or shy or other barriers to expressing
themselves.
Learners can collaborate online by actively
engaging in online discussions and group activities,
suggesting study tricks, offering their input on the
eLearning course, and sharing in new ideas.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ONLINE

There are lots of collaborative activities you can create
online such as:
• Group discussions like Homework forums
• Online peer assessment
• Skype meeting with other classrooms
• Small group assignments
• Online field trips
• Group work on case studies or online games
• Problem-based learning activities like WebQuests,
where teams are sent out for online scavenger
hunts to find the solution to a problem. ESCOLA | DIGITAL TEACHING TOOLS FOR ENGINEERING LABS
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

5. Creating a Collaborative Virtual Learning Environment

The first thing to do before diving into the actual design
process of your virtual classroom training is to define
your performance goals and learning objectives.
This will help guide you through the design and
development of your virtual classroom training strategy,
as you will be able to select the learning materials, tools,
and methods that will serve these goals and objectives.
https://elearningindustry.com/6-tips-design-interactive-virtual-classroom-training
STEP 1: DETERMINE YOUR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In order to gather the tools you will need to produce your
virtual classroom training, you must first decide how you will
be delivering your content. Consider how your students will be
accessing the virtual training classroom.
Will they need to be able to learn on-the-go via their mobile
devices, as is the case with moment of need learning
experiences?
Will the content be delivered to them in a physical classroom
environment as part of a traditional blended learning strategy?
STEP 2: CHOOSE THE IDEAL METHOD OF DELIVERY

Active student participation is key to a successful virtual
classroom training experience. Create activities that immerse
them, such as scenarios, games, or rich eLearning presentations.
Learners will be encouraged to interact with the subject matter
and their fellow students, remotely or otherwise.
To trigger discussion, you may want to integrate some form of
online collaboration, such as a forum, discussion board or a
Google Chat.
STEP 3: CREATE INTERACTIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

Once you've perfected and polished every aspect of your
virtual training classroom, it’s time to give it a test run in a
realistic environment to make sure that everything will run
smoothly after launch.
Conduct a “mock” session, where you can iron out any issues
and ensure that there aren't any glitches that can hinder the
overall success of the virtual training classroom.
STEP 4: GIVE IT A TEST RUN

Padlet is a digital canvas to create projects that are
easy to share and collaborate on. It works like a piece
of paper.
You start with an empty page - a padlet - and you can
put whatever you like on it.
Drag in a video, record an interview, snap a selfie,
write your own text posts or upload some documents!
Make it even more visually appealing by choosing
custom wallpapers and themes.
https://padlet.com/thebookchook/Padlet4Teachers
PRACTICAL EXERCISE
Padlet Collaborative Board

Things to consider:
• appropriate tool, app or technology (for example, software that allows for threaded discussions);
• you might need to include clear guidelines on student/participant behaviour, such as written codes of
conduct for participating in discussions, and ensuring that they are enforced;
• clear goals for the group that are understood by the learners/participants
• choice of appropriate topics, that complement and expand issues in the study materials, and are
relevant to answering assessment questions;
DESIGNING SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AND PEER CONNECTIONS GROUPS
Key takeaways

• setting an appropriate ‘tone’ or requirements for discussion (for example, respectful disagreement,
evidence-based arguments);
• defining clearly learner roles and expectations, such as ‘you should log in at least once a week to
each discussion topic and make at least one substantive contribution to each topic each week’;
• regular, ongoing instructor ‘presence’ is key, such as monitoring the discussions to prevent them
getting off topic or too personal, and providing encouragement for those that are making real
contributions to the discussion, heading off those that are trying to hog or dominate the
discussions, and tracking those not participating, and helping them to participate;
DESIGNING SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AND PEER CONNECTIONS GROUPS
Key takeaways

6. Summary

• Collaborative Learning is widely practiced whether its via group work, peer learning or bringing in
outside expertise into the classroom
• Collaborative Learning is an active process rooted in a social environment where conversation between
learners takes place
• Learning Spaces are any place that learning takes place – they are classrooms, indoor or outdoor
locations, and can be either actual or virtual
• A Virtual Learning Environment is an online learning space where interactive discussions, online
collaboration activities and the sharing/accessing of electronic learning resources take place
• Learners can collaborate online by actively engaging in online discussions and group activities,
suggesting study tricks, offering their input on the eLearning course, and sharing in new ideas
• There are lots of great digital and tech tools that teachers can use to help them enable Collaborative
Learning in Virtual Environments
SUMMARY

escolaproject.eu
Facebook.com/EUESCOLAPROJECT
eu.escola.project@gmail.com
Thank You

1. http://www.pdst.ie/sites/default/files/Session%203%20-%20PS%20Co%20-%20Op%20%EF%80%A2%20Group%20Work.pdf
2. http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/CLChapter.pdf
3. https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/learning-resources/promoting-active-learning
4. https://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB7102i.pdf
5. https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/virtual-learning-environment-VLE-or-managed-learning-environment-MLE
6. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1472811717303051
7. https://elearningindustry.com/6-tips-design-interactive-virtual-classroom-training
REFERENCES

ESCOLA Module 5 Collaborative Learning in Virtual Environments

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