THE CRITICAL COMPONENT
OF INTERACTION AND
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS IN
ONLINE COURSES
Discover the benefits of creating a Peer to Peer learning community
Objectives for Presentation
By the end of this presentation you will

realize the critical role interaction and collaborative learning play in student success and retention in an
online course.

discover innovative designs for activities and assessments that engage online learners and set the stage
for interaction and collaborative learning.

consider and review digital tools and educational applications used for online interactive course sessions
and activities.

consider current research and resources supporting the need for interaction and collaborative learning
for successful learning outcomes and student retention in online courses.
Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is based on four principles:




The learner or student is the primary focus of instruction.
Interaction and "doing" are of primary importance
Working in groups is an important mode of learning.
Structured approaches to developing solutions to real-world problems should be incorporated into
learning.
-Cornell University Center for Teaching Excellence
Value

Research shows that interaction and collaboration stimulates student motivation and increases the
completion rate of online assignments and assessments.

Interaction makes learning meaningful and promotes autonomy, relatedness, and self-efficacy (SelfDetermination).

Students are more likely to complete the course and take another online course.

Interaction stimulates culturally-responsive exchanges and learning activities.

A collaborative, interactive learning community can save you course design and review time.
Suggestions

Introduction video and syllabus review. Create a discussion area for students to post questions.

Set live office hours. Consider using Google Hangouts.

First week peer-to-peer interactive, introduction activity:

Power Sentence – 100 years from now, in one sentence,
how would you like to be remembered?

Design and post a logo that represents your strengths
and interests. Post to Discussion Board.

5 Facts About Me - post 5 facts about yourself that
represent various areas and interests in your life.
Suggestions: from F2F to virtual
Group Challenge
1. Divided students into groups.
2. Each student creates a challenging question based on lecture content and lesson material.
3. Students pose questions to the group and discuss answers.
4. Appointed group scribe records questions and responses in a
Google Doc
5. Works best in Google Docs (Wiki) or VoiceThread. Use Google Hangouts, Blackboard Discussion
Forum, Groups, Wikis or Blogs
Collaborative Tools

Program Student Learning Outcomes for History BA

Looking at Examples: Roman Assignment Folders

Wiki Role Play


Role Play Responses

VoiceThread Quiz

Writing Assignment

Rubrics rock!
Medieval Assignment Folders
Questions? Comments?

How do you use collaborative learning in your courses?

Challenges and ways to handle them?

Things that work and things that don’t?

Suggestions and tips?
Resources
1. Retention in Online Courses: Exploring Issues and SolutionsA Literature Review
2. Online Student Engagement Tools and Strategies
3. Cornell Center for Teaching Excellence – Collaborative Learning
4. UAA Robust Online Learning Resources Pages
5. UAA Academic Innovations and eLearning Resources and Support
6. Lifting the Learning. Make It Real Blog
7. Design your ePortfolio Welcome Page
Nancy McCoy Wozniak’s
Emerging Communications Technology course Introduction Activities
Contacts
Dr. Elizabeth Dennison, Department of History, UAA – [email protected], Dennison ePortfolio
Nancy Wozniak, M.Ed., Robust Online Learning, AI&e, UAA – [email protected], Wozniak
ePortfolio
Thank you! Keep in touch! Community matters!