Online Collaborative Learning in STEM

Abstract

Online collaborative learning is an active learning strategy that has been used to great effect in medical and education professional training but is only recently beginning to be used more commonly in STEM. Similar to other collaborative learning strategies, effective modeling of team building and responsibilities is necessary. However, moving team interactions into a digital space that is unrestricted by geographical location or face-to-face meeting times introduces additional complexities and affords new opportunities. In this chapter, I discuss the theoretical underpinnings and a framework for online collaborative learning. I then explore implementations of synchronous, asynchronous, text-based, and video-based online collaborative learning from an assortment of STEM courses. The successes, and weaknesses, of these innovations are discussed to help faculty navigate the possibilities, potential, and pitfalls of designing their own online collaborative learning activities for twenty-first-century student learning.