{"id":698,"date":"2020-11-10T16:56:39","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T16:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/learning-design\/?p=698"},"modified":"2021-05-28T11:30:58","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T10:30:58","slug":"the-art-of-conversation-why-collaboration-matters-in-online-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/learning-design\/?p=698","title":{"rendered":"The art of conversation: why collaboration matters in online learning\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever witnessed an awkward\u00a0<\/span>role<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>play<\/span>\u00a0exercise<\/span>\u00a0in a training session<\/span>, you may dread the idea of collaborative\u00a0<\/span>learning\u00a0<\/span>activities. The good news is t<\/span>hat when it comes to online learning, you can plan and manage collaborative activities to ensure that nobody\u2019s embarrassed and everyone benefits \u2013\u00a0<\/span>possibly\u00a0<\/span>in ways they hadn\u2019t anticipated.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You may\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>already\u00a0<\/span>design<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0some<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>online\u00a0<\/span>collaborative activities<\/span>. If<\/span>\u00a0you\u00a0<\/span>found it\u00a0<\/span>tricky, you\u2019re not alone.<\/span>\u00a0They can feel contrived or lacking in value, and you may\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>worr<\/span>ied<\/span>\u00a0that they\u2019ll distract students or take up too much of their time. Students can be wary of them too, especially if\u00a0<\/span>the activities\u00a0<\/span>seem bolted on rather than built in<\/span>, or if they look\u00a0<\/span>intimidating.\u00a0<\/span>So, in this blog post, we look at why collaboration matters<\/span>. We also\u00a0<\/span>provide some\u00a0<\/span>examples you can use as a basis for\u00a0<\/span>build<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>collaborative activities\u00a0<\/span>into your online learning<\/span>, and you can\u00a0<\/span>download our\u00a0<\/span>collaborative activities guide<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>for more ideas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Creating a c<\/b>ommunity<\/b><\/p>\n

Gilly Salmon\u2019s 5-stage model<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(2000<\/span>)<\/span>\u00a0builds on the concept of students being supported as they learn how to learn online, with online socialisation being a key stage in students\u2019 experiences.<\/span>\u00a0That\u2019s because, l<\/span>ike students at brick universities, o<\/span>nline students need a community, and collaborative activities provide an opportunity to build that<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Community building<\/span>\u00a0needs to happen from the start\u00a0<\/span>of each module<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>so that students can build\u00a0<\/span>confidence<\/span>\u00a0as well as connections<\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>online\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>ollaboration is a skill\u00a0<\/span>and students may need support<\/span>\u00a0if they\u2019re new to it or nervous<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In our\u00a0<\/span>collaborative activities guide<\/a>\u00a0(Evans and Galley, 2016)<\/span>, we<\/span>\u00a0outline a\u00a0<\/span>model of support based around providing support before, during and after\u00a0<\/span>collaborative\u00a0<\/span>activities (based on Zheng et al., 2015).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the\u00a0<\/span>\u2018<\/span>before<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u00a0phase we encourage:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n