Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre
Orientation Lecture Series: LEARNING TO LEARN
Collaborative Learning
Outline of lecture:
1. What is collaborative learning?
2. Positive and negative experiences of collaborative learning
3. Key factors affecting the quality of group work
4. Strategies for effective group work
5. Collaboration and academic honesty
4. University policies concerning rights and responsibilities.
1.
WHAT IS COLLABORATIVE LEARNING?
a process of constructing
knowledge through
interaction with others
GENERAL
an instructional method involving cooperation
& interaction between learners
an instructional method involving cooperation
& interaction between learners, with software support
SPECIFIC
Claims made for collaborative learning:

enhances critical thinking

helps learners retain information longer

helps learners achieve higher levels of thought
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre

encourages development of autonomous learning skills
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre
What is different about behaving collaboratively?
Sometimes types of behaviour that have been strategically useful in the past have to be unlearned
in collaborative situations. For example, in order to do well in public examinations in competitive
situations, ‘competitive’ behaviour strategies may work very well. But in collaborative learning
situations these behaviours can mean that the products of the collaboration are of poor quality, and
the learners are unhappy with the result.
Competitive and collaborative behaviours can be contrasted in the following ways:
EFFECTIVE COMPETITIVE BEHAVIOUR
EFFECTIVE COLLABORATIVE BEHAVIOUR
Directed toward achieving personal goals
Directed towards goals held in common
Secrecy
Openness
Accurate personal understanding of own needs
but hidden/misrepresented.
Accurate personal understanding of own needs
and accurate representation of them
Unpredictable mixed strategies utilising the
element of surprise
Predictable. May be flexible but not designed to
take the other party by surprise
Threats and bluffs
Threats and bluffs are not used
Logical, non rational and irrational arguments
used to defend a position to which you are
strategically committed
Logical and innovative processes are used to
defend your views or to find solutions to problems
Where teams, committees, etc., are involved,
communicating bad stereotypes of the other,
ignoring her logic, impugning her motives and
arousing ingroup hostility
Dropping stereotypes, giving consideration to
ideas on their merits, maintaining good working
relationships
(adapted from Walton, R. E. (1970). How to choose between strategies of conflict and collaboration. In R. T.
Golembiewski & A. Blumberg (Eds.), Sensitivity Training and the Laboratory Approach: Readings about
concepts and applications (pp. 335-341). Itasca, IL: Peacock Publishers.)
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre
2.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
According to Gokhale’s (1995) influential study*, collaborative learning fostered the development of
critical thinking through:
 discussion
 clarification of ideas
 evaluation of others’ ideas.
* Gokhale, A. A. (1995). Collaborative Learning enhances critical thinking. Journal of Technology Education,
7(1), 22-30.
However, some students felt that ‘they wasted a lot of time explaining the material to other group
members’ (1995, p. 28), while a summary of student comments at
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/CL1/CL/moreinfo/MI4C.htm
includes the following:
 Someone may try to take over the group
 Quiet people may not feel comfortable
 People may not pull their weight
In order to be positive, the result of the groupwork needs to be as good as or better than you can
produce by yourself.
3.
KEY FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF GROUP WORK
Facts: how small groups work
Three key elements are involved in group dynamics:

product

process

contributions from members
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre
Links between key elements in group dynamics
Level of knowledge and
of skills in knowledge
application, organisation
& decision-making
Level of
commitment
Level of
interpersonal
skills
Quality of
individual member
contributions
Quality of group
collaboration
Quality of
group process
Quality of group
learning
Quality of
group product
KEY QUESTION:
What is a
‘contribution’?
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre
A contribution can be:
 working on the sub-tasks, e.g. researching, writing, editing
 sharing knowledge of the topic
 supporting interaction, e.g. encouraging others and creating good feeling
 organising group work, e.g. finding meeting locations, emailing reminders

Reflection:
Ask yourself the following questions:


What are your strengths as a group member?
What sort of contributions could you offer to a group?
Characteristics of groups that work effectively:



equal contributions
full discussion of issues
High quality result & high level of member
satisfaction
member support
Common problems that prevent groups working effectively:

problems with logistics

problems with allocation
of tasks


4.
coordination of member
contributions
Quality of group product lower than
individual product, & high level of stress
and dissatisfaction
lack of commitment from
some group members
STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE GROUP WORK
Early on,
 work together to clearly define the group’s aims (e.g. working co-operatively together at all
times) and desired outcomes (e.g. achieving a Distinction result!)
 break the task down into achievable sub-tasks with a time-frame for each
 decide on dates, times and locations for the following meeting(s)
 agree on the allocation of the sub-tasks after discussion of individual members’ preferences
and strengths
 agree on the necessity or not of having a group leader, a scribe, …
Each time the group meets,
 monitor the group dynamics, e.g.,
o if a group member doesn’t prepare in advance, take action early as a group
o if a group member isn’t contributing orally, check if this is because of
 a lack of preparation,
 a lack of the opportunity to speak, or
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre


5.
a question of shyness, and/or of a different language and cultural
background
make sure that
o everyone contributes
o all group members understand what is going on
o each member is aware of the opinions and tasks of the other members
o there is time at the end of each meeting
 to sum up group decisions, and
 set the agenda for the next meeting
COLLABORATION AND ACADEMIC HONESTY
Academic honesty means that
 the work you submit is your own original work
 anything by other people is acknowledged
Plagiarism means that
 the work you submit is partly or wholly other people’s work
 work by other people is not acknowledged
So, what kind of collaboration is acceptable?
 group work assignments
 ‘legitimate cooperation’
 acknowledging (i.e. referencing) others’ work
What is ‘legitimate cooperation’?
‘any constructive educational and intellectual practice that aims to facilitate optimal learning
outcomes through interaction between students.’
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in Coursework Policy, p. 3.
(Date of effect: 1 January 2012)
What is plagiarism?
From Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in Coursework Policy (2012), pp. 5-6:
‘presenting another person’s work as one’s own by
presenting, copying or reproducing it without appropriate
acknowledgment of the source.’
‘includes presenting work for
assessment … that includes the
work of another person, without
appropriate acknowledgement of
the source …’
‘includes presenting work for
assessment … that includes
phrases, clauses, sentences,
paragraphs or longer extracts from
published or unpublished work
(including from the Internet) without
appropriate acknowledgement of
the source’
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre
Both of these are very serious
However in first year, a common form of academic dishonesty is negligent plagiarism, often due
to ignorance, poor referencing practices, or fear of paraphrasing or writing in one’s own words.
SO what kind of collaboration is acceptable? What you see on the left of the diagram below!
Group work
(group product)
Legitimate
cooperation
(individual product)
Discussion of
assignment
topic
Academic
negligence
Inadequate
referencing
Discussion
of readings
Academic
dishonesty
(intent to deceive)
Plagiarism
& cheating
 outsourcing
 stealing words
 stealing ideas
Your faculty/school/department should provide:

guidelines on group work assignments

clear procedures for monitoring group work

information on assessment criteria

information about the right referencing convention to use
Sources of information:

read the university policy on plagiarism

seek help if you need to improve your skills for using information and referencing

consult books and/or guidelines about referencing conventions

ask your lecturer/tutor for information if you don’t understand
Some Learning Centre workshops:

Using sources:
o Developing and supporting an argument
o Quoting, summarising and paraphrasing
o Language strategies for referring to evidence

Collaborative Learning:
o Working in groups
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Orientation Lecture Series LEARNING TO LEARN: Collaborative Learning  Learning Centre
o Discussion skills
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism in Coursework Policy, 1 January 2012
http://fmweb01.ucc.usyd.edu.au/pol/FMPro
Learning Centre
sydney.edu.au/lc
For:
 Workshop timetables
 Lecture notes
 Online resources for academic writing & referencing
Further research papers on collaborative learning and group work in a tertiary context:
Bonanno, H., Jones, J., & English, L. (1998). Improving group satisfaction: making groups work in
a first-year undergraduate course. Teaching in Higher Education, 3(3), 365-382.
Bower, M. & Richards, D. (2006). Collaborative learning: some possibilities and limitations for
students and teachers. In Proceedings of the 23rd annual ascilite conference: Who’s learning?
Whose technology? Retrieved from:
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney06/proceeding/onlineIndex.html
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