The art of conversation: why collaboration matters in online learning 

If you’ve ever witnessed an awkward role play exercise in a training session, you may dread the idea of collaborative learning activities. The good news is that when it comes to online learning, you can plan and manage collaborative activities to ensure that nobody’s embarrassed and everyone benefits – possibly in ways they hadn’t anticipated.  

You may have already designed some online collaborative activities. If you found it tricky, you’re not alone. They can feel contrived or lacking in value, and you may have worried that they’ll distract students or take up too much of their time. Students can be wary of them too, especially if the activities seem bolted on rather than built in, or if they look intimidating. So, in this blog post, we look at why collaboration matters. We also provide some examples you can use as a basis for building collaborative activities into your online learning, and you can download our collaborative activities guide for more ideas.  Continue reading “The art of conversation: why collaboration matters in online learning “

Supporting students in collaborative online activities

Collaborative learning activities build students’ critical thinking skills and encourage them to reflect on their learning. However, students can struggle to engage with them if they don’t feel supported. Use these steps to build in support for students before, during and after online collaborative activities.
The steps are based on a study by Zheng et al. (2015)

Before – Explain and guide
  • Explain the purpose of, and the benefits of completing the activities by linking them clearly to learning outcomes.
  • Remind students when they need to be available for this work, and to flag to the group if there are periods when they won’t be available.
  • Provide preparatory activities to build up students’ skills and experience with group working.
  • Provide opportunities to practice using any technology involved to help students build confidence.
  • Provide some examples of finished work from previous cohorts, or provide one or more example answers that students can use as a reference.
During – Reassure
  • Make sure there’s a mechanism for identifying and supporting students if they get stuck.
  • Ensure that students are clear on how to ask for help or clarification, and make sure they feel comfortable requesting guidance.
  • Keep an eye on the mood of the students and find ways to keep morale high.
  • Be ready to point out interesting findings coming out from other groups or even set up some element of competition or reward if morale drops.
After – Relax and reflect
  • Ensure there’s an opportunity for students toreflect on their experience. Usually this is via assessment, but this could be done in other ways.
  • Provide a bit of breathing space this will have been an intense experience for some students.
  • Don’t launch them straight into another high-stakes activity.
  • Consider providing a way for students to share their finished product with the rest of the cohort.
  • Reiterate how this has helped with the learning outcomes, skills and with their PDP employability.
  • Provide opportunities for tutor and peer follow up.

References
Arang. B. Niya M & Warschauw, M (2015) ‘Wikis and collaborative learning in higher education’ Technology, Pedagogy and Education, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 357–74

The ICEBERG principles: Learning design for retention

Retention – helping students complete the studies they’ve signed up for – is an essential element of learning design. Open University researchers Jitse van Ameijde, Martin Weller and Simon Cross developed the ICEBERG principles (2015) to highlight seven learning design elements that support retention.

We’ve created a quick guide to the principles and some prompts for applying them. Visit Professor Martin Weller’s blog at
shorturl.at/iHJY3 to download the full report and to explore his insights into the research.

Learning that is designed for retention should be:

Integrated
Learning materials are constructively aligned: activities and other materials support assessment, ultimately helping students pass the module.

Design tips
Show how activities and assessments link to learning outcomes.

Where appropriate, minimise friction caused by switching media: this can increase cognitive overload.

Collaborative
Learning activities include opportunities for students to articulate concepts to one another and reflect on them in new contexts. Collaboration also builds connections between students, helping them feel part of a supportive community.

Design tips
Incorporate meaningful activities for collaboration.

Scaffold these activities to encourage engagement. (You may find our Collaborative Activities guide useful.)

Engaging
Learning materials connect to students’ interests and goals via case studies, readings and varied activities. The academic team should be visible to students too, so that they’re part of the learning community.

Design tips
Build in a variety of activities to keep students engaged.
Ensure that the tone of materials is enthusiastic and supportive of students as self-directed learners.

Balanced
Workload is manageable and evenly distributed throughout the module. Sudden jumps in effort needed can be alarming and may make it difficult for students to plan their study.

Design tips
Make sure students know on a week-by-week basis what they’re expected to do.
Build in study skills such as time management, so students can keep on top of their own workload.

Economical
Learning materials cover just what’s needed to ensure students can demonstrate that they meet the learning outcomes. Prioritise the key concepts and skills that students need to grasp and build learning activities around these.

Reflective
Activities include opportunities for regular reflection to help students test their understanding and track progress. Include formative and summative assessment opportunities to give students opportunities to reflect on their progress.

Design tips
Build in regular summaries to prompt reflection on key concepts.

Gradual
Materials build understanding and skills gradually, helping students grasp the basics before exploring more complex concepts.

Design tips
Scaffold new concepts and skills, and provide low-stakes opportunities for students to practise them.
Look for ways to encourage students to become more self-directed as the course progresses.

References
Van Ameijde, J., Cross, S. and Weller M. (2015) Designing for Student Retention. The ICEBERG Model and Key Design Tips [Online]. Available at https://blog.edtechie.net/learning-design/designing-for-retention-the-iceberg-model/

The ICEBERG principles: Learning design for retention

Retention – helping students complete the studies they’ve signed up for – is an essential element of learning design. Open University researchers Jitse van Ameijde, Martin Weller and Simon Cross developed the ICEBERG principles (2015) to highlight seven learning design elements that support retention. Below we’ve outlined briefly what the principles look like in practice.

Learning that is designed for retention should be:
Integrated
Learning materials are constructively aligned: activities and other materials support assessment, ultimately helping students pass the module.
Collaborative
Learning activities include opportunities for students to articulate concepts to one another and reflect on them in new contexts. Collaboration also builds connections between students, helping them feel part of a supportive community.
Engaging
Learning materials connect to students’ interests and goals via case studies, readings and varied activities. The academic team should be visible to students too, so that they can ‘hear’ the real people behind the curriculum.
Balanced
Workload is manageable and evenly distributed throughout the module. Sudden jumps in effort needed can be alarming and may not fit in around students’ other commitments.
Economical
Learning materials cover what’s needed to ensure students meet the learning outcomes – and nothing more. Other content – however interesting – can distract students and upset their planning.
Reflective
Activities include opportunities for regular reflection to help students test their understanding and see their progress.
Gradual
Materials build understanding and skills gradually, helping students grasp the basics before exploring more complex concepts.

Find out more
Visit Professor Martin Weller’s blog to download the full report and to explore his insights into the research.

References
Van Ameijde, J., Cross, S. and Weller M. (2015) Designing for Student Retention. The ICEBERG Model and Key Design Tips [Online]. Available at https://blog.edtechie.net/learning-design/designing-for-retention-the-iceberg- model/