ABSTRACT
Some learning theories emphasize the social genesis of learning and view it as a process involving interpersonal interactions in a cooperative (vs. a competitive) context. Over the past 2 decades, one such theory, collaborative (group or team based) learning, has gained in popularity. Several studies have demonstrated the positive motivational and learning outcomes of collaborative learning in higher education. The Internet and World Wide Web offer platforms and new opportunities supporting new approaches to collaborative learning. These new approaches augment or replace face-to-face interactions among the student team members with interactions that take place via information technologies. Although research regarding the role of information technologies in support of collaborative learning has gained some momentum over the last decade, much remains to be learned about this topic. The objective of this chapter is to motivate future research and dialogue about technology-mediated collaborative learning by pointing out some potentially productive research venues in this field. The chapter opens with an overview and a description of various perspectives on collaborative learning in general, Second, current and emerging technology environments for the support of collaborative learning are discussed. Next, the literature on technology-mediated collaborative learning is reviewed and summarized. The literature review provides a basis for the development of a framework that integrates findings of the previous work. The chapter concludes with some specific suggestions for future research in the area of technology-mediated collaborative learning.
