Jane Brindley|Christine Walti|Lisa Marie Blaschke
Creating Effective Collaborative Learning Groups in an Online Environment
Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
collaborative learning online classroom take form discussion among whole class within smaller groups paper addresses latter examining first whether assessment makes difference level learner participation considering factors involved creating effective collaborative learning groups data collected three year period 15 cohorts foundations course master distance education mde program offered jointly university maryland university college umuc university oldenburg support authors original hypothesis assessment makes significant difference learner participation levels small group learning projects leads question much emphasis placed grading work completed study groups exclusion strategies drawing observations two mde courses including foundations course extensive online teaching experience review literature authors identify factors grading contribute positively effectiveness small collaborative learning groups online environment particular paper focuses specific instructional strategies facilitate learner participation small group projects result enhanced sense community increased skill acquisition better learning outcomes