1. in Blended & Online Environments
Using Groups:
Collaboration
T h e o r y a n d P r a c t i c e
A Presentation by
Jeff Lofting for

3. Collaboration Defined
 Collaboration is…
…when a group of people come together,
driven by mutual self–interest,
to constructively explore new
possibilities and
create something that they
couldn’t do on their own
(Callahan)
 Utilizing collective knowledge and
skills offered by a group to cultivate
new ideas and solve problems.

4. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
» 45% of US employers say lack of skills is “main
reason” for entry-level vacancies
» Employers would be willing to pay new workers
22% higher salaries if they did have the
skills they need
» 72% of educational institutions
believe newly educated
workers are ready for work…
» 42% of employers feel
the same way (Bersin)

5. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
II. Constructivism requires it
» Dr. David Jonassen, CLEs on the Web
Learning most naturally occurs not in isolation but
by teams of people working together to
solve problems. CLEs should provide
access to shared information and
shared knowledge building
tools to help learners to
collaboratively construct
socially shared knowledge (6).

6. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority
need
II. Constructivism requires it
» Collaborative learning leads to
• deeper level learning,
• critical thinking,
• shared understanding, and
• long term retention of the learned material
(Kreijns 337)

7. Justification for Collaboration
I. Collaboration is a high priority need
II. Constructivism requires it
III. Struggling is inherent in the learning
process
» Piaget’s social cognitive conflict
• Social Interaction  Cognitive Conflict
• Disequilibrium  Knowledge
Construction

8. The Practice of Collaboration
 So, how can students be empowered to
collaborate successful?
» CLEs should provide access to shared
information and shared knowledge building
tools to help learners to collaboratively
construct socially shared
knowledge.
 Canvas provides an
incredible resource of
shared knowledge
building tools.

10. Canvas Groups Features
Course
Project 1
Set
Group 1
Group 2
Announce-
ments
Pages/Wikis
Discussion
Boards
Shared Files
Collaboration
(Google Docs)
Group 3
For Students:
 Announcements
 Wikis (collective knowledge repository)
 Calendar events
 Shared resources
For Instructors:
 Group messages
 Group assignments
 Group discussion threads

11. Sources
Jonassen, David. "Constructivist learning environments on the web: engaging students in
meaningful learning." The Educational Technology Conference and Conference Singapore (1999): n.
pag. Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
Kreijns, Karel, Paul Kirschner, and Wim Jochems. "Identifying the pitfalls for social interaction in
computer-supported collaborative learning environments: a review of the research." Computers in
Human Behavior 19.3 (2003): 335-353. Print.
Callahan, Shawn. "Anecdote: when should we collaborate?" Anecdote. N.p., 12 Mar. 2008. Web. 24 Apr.
2013. <http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2008/12/when_should_we.html>.
Bersin, J. (2012, December 10). Growing Gap Between What Business Needs and What Education
Provides - Forbes. Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. Retrieved April 24,
2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2012/12/10/
growing-gap-between-what-business-needs-and-what-education-provides/
Lipponen, Lasse. “Exploring foundations for computer-supported collaborative learning." University of
Helsinki Finland: n. pag. Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX (2002). Web. 24 Apr. 2013.
What Do Employers Expect…from Today’s High School Graduates?. (n.d.). Vermont Business Roundtable.
Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://vtroundtable.org/filemanager/download/8717/