In a traditional e-learning setting, learners learn the content in a secluded, self-paced environment. Here, learners have little chance of meeting their fellow learners to share their learning experiences. On the other hand, collaborative learning encourages active learning where each learner has an opportunity to take an active part in learning activities.

Benefits of collaborative learning: It occurs at various levels.

Boosts social interactivity:
The foundation for collaborative learning is interaction among learners. Learners cherish social interaction. In an academic or a corporate environment, learners from various locations come onto a learning platform. This gives them an opportunity to expand their social network by building trust. This eventually helps them with their career growth.

Organizations and academic institutions have realized that the key to successful e-learning programs is to integrate collaborative learning tools. Tools such as Wikis, shared videos, message boards, etc. can make learning more engaging and appealing to learners.

Facilitates the learning process:
Since in collaborative learning, learners share a platform, they can complement each others’ shortcomings. In case a learner finds it difficult to understand a concept, he can get his partner’s help instead of directly approaching his instructor. This can alleviate the pain of learning a grueling subject alone.

However, here trust between the learners matters. Unless they believe in one another, they do not share the information. This can apply both to academic and corporate environments. This is what the management should deal with. They should ensure that peer competition is under check for the greater good of all learners.

Helps learners mine information:
As learners from various locations get connected to a single learning platform, they can have various perspectives on a single topic. This helps them broaden their outlook overcoming the narrow prejudices emanating from local environment. Also, it helps learners with information mining from brainstorming sessions.

Provides learners with first-hand learning experience:
With collaborative e-learning, learners can familiarize themselves with concepts first hand. For instance, learners learning a foreign language can practice their language skills with native speakers. This will boost their learning experience and keep them motivated.

With these benefits, collaborative e-learning has the potential to take e-learning in academic as well as corporate settings to further stages of significance and utility.

Do share your thoughts on the same.

Live Webinars: Implementation of eLearning in Organizations!

Join free, live webinars that will illustrate the various aspects of eLearning design and development to make training more effective. The webinars are aimed at training and functional managers who wish to learn about how they can use and implement eLearning in their organizations.

Reserve Your Spot Now!

Related posts:

1. Collaborative Learning – Is it changing the face of e-learning?
2. Benefits of Using Social Media for Learning
3. Social Media and Its Impact on Learning Strategy

The training industry, especially the e-learning industry has evolved from ILT, online courses, blended courses to rapid e-learning, audio/video and a range of instructional simulations and interactivities. Earlier, companies would convert manuals and instructor materials into slideshows for training purposes. Now, e-learning programs offer engaging, interactive and virtual experiences. A year or two ago, when recession affected industries, people focused on learning to retain their jobs.

Recent times have seen learning happen through social media tools. From YouTube to blogging, podcasts to micro-blogs, social news and bookmarking to wikis, social media tools have taken e-learning to another level.

The shift towards social learning is mainly because organizations have started recognizing the tremendous need to build, manage and formalize their social and collaborative learning programs.

Organizations are rethinking their training strategies and models to accommodate learning programs under ‘learning environments’ that offer collaborative learning and built in social media tools. According to Wikipedia, collaborative learning refers to various methodologies and environments where learners engage and actively interact to learn or attempt to learn something together.

A collaborative learning environment in an organization enables learners to converse with contemporaries, present as well as defend ideas and perspectives, exchange diverse beliefs, question other conceptual frameworks and get actively engaged. Learning in a collaborative environment can take place at any time. It can happen when individuals are in discussion in a group or over the Internet.

Some organizations may offer ILT training on a need basis, but over 70% of learning happens while reading, watching and listening or simply by talking with one another.

There are many new tools and platforms similar to LMS to manage, track and facilitate people to learn and work together. It’s a matter of time when collaborative learning will happen on the move through mobile phones, Blackberry phones and related mobile devices.

While Google has Google Wave, Microsoft’ SharePoint and Live Services, Adobe’s Connect, a few companies such as Saba, Plateau and Taleo are creating new tools and platforms to facilitate communication and knowledge-sharing.

What are your thoughts on Collaborative Learning? Will organizations be able to create learning environments to enhance informal and collaborative learning? Please comment and share your knowledge.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Related posts:

1. Collaborative Learning in Academic and Corporate Environments!
2. How to market social media as a learning tool?
3. Learning Predictions – 2010