Using collaborative techniques in virtual learning communities

Abstract

The present paper illustrates the experience gained within two "twin" online courses, where three collaborative techniques, namely the Role Play, the Jigsaw and the Discussion, were used for triggering collaboration and interactions among students. The use of the techniques in the two courses is analyzed by looking at the participative, the social, the cognitive and the teaching dimensions and the way these components vary across techniques and across the two courses. Despite the results are certainly affected by factors that could not be set aside in a real context (the individual differences of students, the topics and sequence of activities, etc.), still it is possible to draw some final considerations concerning the strong points and weaknesses of the three techniques in online learning contexts. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.