What is the role of collaboration in understanding? This question reveals my social constructivist nature - how much do we build understanding through collaboration, interaction, etc. And if it helps increase understandings and knowledge then what is the responsibility, and how do we build in collaboration in learning particularly in virtual environments? And if it helps in learning, how can it help in teaching? As librarians we are often collaborators in teaching, so it helps to understand or at least consider its role in teaching and learning.
Most people think of collaboration only in the terms of group projects, which can be frustrating sometimes, especially in an online environment. However, collaboration “in the classroom” is more than just group assignments or projects. It’s also interaction between the students and between the student(s) and instructor. It’s these interactions, whether they be discussion or Q & A, that can be key factors in understanding.
I think that many of us do build understanding through collaboration and interaction. There have been many times I have felt confused or unsure about instruction, a lesson, or a reading, but then suddenly feel like a light bulb goes off over my head after discussing with a classmate or participating in a Q & A session. It’s a great way to bounce ideas, thoughts and interpretations off one another, which is what contructivism is all about. We don’t just learn from our instructor and our texts, but we learn from one another. In The Perfect Online Course, Liu, Magjuka, Bonk and Lee quote Wilson, et al. (2004), “A positive and collaborative culture can provide a community with opportunities to learn from each other, accommodate diverse membership, contribute to others’ learning, and nurture the authentic expression of multiple perspectives”(2009, p. 525).
But how to do it effectively in an online environment? There are always the group assignments and projects, but sometimes these type of assignments aren’t really a good fit for the course material, or lesson. Group discussion forums and blogs are a good way to foster interaction, as well as Q & A sessions, whether in a forum or through some form of online conferencing (ie: Elluminate). These types of sessions get everyone together, and allow them to create a “classroom” environment, where ideas can be exchanged and dissected. Some online classes I’ve seen also require face-to-face orientation at the start of the semester, so that instructor and students can all meet in person, and will often follow up by setting up an online “café”, which allows students to interact off-topic. One of my SLIS instructors had a forum like this on ANGEL one semester, where we could go and start off-topic discussions or share information (ie: articles, web sites, etc.) that weren’t particularly relevant to the week’s discussion topics, but relevant to the course or program. These off-topic forums actually got a lot of traffic, and I picked up a lot of interesting sources from fellow classmates. I think that it is important for students to interact “off-topic”, in order to build camaraderie. This is particularly important in the online environment, where you only know your instructor and classmates through words on a screen.
If collaboration is important for understanding in students, it can also be equally important for understanding amongst faculty, especially in our field. Librarians should collaborate with instructors from other disciplines in order to foster understanding of the importance of library skills. Sure, English instructors usually “get it”, because they often overlap in teaching the skills needed for research and reference. However, in other disciplines it’s not so well defined. Students have to turn in research projects in other disciplines besides English. However, instructors in these other disciplines may not recognize the importance of library skills. It’s a very good idea for librarians to collaborate with these other faculty members and help them to understand the importance of the skills needed to be successful in good research and reference. If they cannot provide information literacy courses, then at least work with the other faculty in designing “one-shot” classroom sessions or online tutorials, that are geared towards the subject of instruction (ie: Health Occupations, Science research, Historical research). This type of collaboration will not only help the faculty in their understanding, but it will also help the students learn how to transfer their skills from one subject to another.
