About the OCL SIG

The Online Collaborative Learning Special Interest Group is a sub-group of Technology Demonstrators at USQ. It is led by interests of the group and aims to explore the affordances of online collaborative learning in various learning and teaching contexts.

Discussions around collaborative learning

So far our gatherings have explored approaches to collaboration in online modes – with a focus on tools and pedagogies. At a recent meeting participants explored theoretical influences to collaboration and online collaboration and were challenged to discuss (in small groups, collaboratively) a contextual definition we can use at USQ in terms of what it looks like and how we support it for learning and teaching contexts.

Key ideas raised so far:

• Contextual definition(s) of online collaborative learning
• Why collaborate? Is there a choice?
• The role of the educator
• Ways to collaborate – student focus, assessment related, tool based
• Synchronous and asynchronous modes of collaboration
• Measuring collaboration
• Collaboration for larger cohorts
• Examples of best-practice collaboration
• Building online communities for collaboration – design challenge
• The role of technology
• Local and global collaboration opportunities/design
• Online collaboration toolkit – what is needed?
• Has the advent of new technologies changed pedagogy?
  • Adopting a constructivist learning approach
  • Design of new instructional approaches

More resources:

• Online Collaborative Learning SIG website
• Online Collaborative Learning Padlet

Come and join in!

This SIG meets every few weeks – add your details to THIS FORM for an invitation. There is much to do, much to talk about, and much to share and collaborate on.

Julie Lindsay, OCL SIG Convenor