Content area
Full Text
Introduction
Collaborative learning is an educational method where a group of learners collaborate to learn and improve themselves. They work together toward a common goal, exchange and share ideas, information, knowledge, resources, tools, products, work, and results. They join their efforts and abilities to perform and accomplish the task. For example, they may team up to do the following: investigate and explore an issue or an idea; analyze and solve a problem; design a product; integrate and combine several parts into a whole; sort and order a list of items; develop, construct and built a device; create and produce an essay; organize and manage an experiment; evaluate and criticize a theory, a case or a product.
Collaborative learning draws away from the teacher-centred education, where the teacher is the authority and broadcasts the knowledge to the learners. It emphasizes the interaction among all participants in the learning experience. Teachers and learners actively participate in the learning. The teachers design the learning activities and guide the group. They may support the learners as a group and/or individually. For example, they may help "weak" learners.
Previous research on collaborative learning established its benefits ([72] Vasiliou and Economides, 2007). It develops and enhances critical-thinking skills ([67] Totten et al. , 1991; [21] Gokhale, 1995), enables students achieve higher level of thoughts and retain information longer than students who work quietly as individuals ([36] Johnson and Johnson, 1986). It also improves student learning and satisfaction ([2] Alavi, 1994; [29] Hiltz and Wellman, 1997). Furthermore, it is necessary for cultural development ([6] Bruner, 1996; [66] Tomasello, 1999). It may facilitate the active participation of students who have a lot of difficulties in traditional school learning ([23] Hakkarainen et al. , 1999).
Currently, there is a huge interest in developing computer-supported collaborative learning systems ([16] Economides, 2005; [72] Vasiliou and Economides, 2007). In such systems, learners will openly communicate and collaborate with other learners, teachers, tutors, etc. However, contemporary systems do not completely support the diverse learner types as well as their different collaboration modes. Research is needed to identify the appropriate requirements for the efficient design of such systems. Learners have diverse background, experiences, values, perspectives, learning styles, etc. Therefore, they need different communication and collaboration tools and methods...