Fostering collaborative problem solving skills in science: The Animalia project

Abstract

Collaboration might not always be the best approach for problem solving in classroom learning setting. The purpose of this study is to determine what collaborative learning behaviors contribute to learning outcomes in collaborative learning environment as one of the essential steps for future adaptive collaborative learning systems. Students from five countries participated in Animalia online mini-course designed to foster students' collaborative problem solving skills in the context of complex ecosystems. Students worked in teams with assigned scientific roles to explore cause-effect relationships in Animalia. Each team member have had access to role-relevant information about the overall situation so that determining the root cause of the problems in Animalia requires each team member to share his/her information with the others. Digital tools such as shared documents, virtual labs, videoconference and forums were used in support of collaborative problem solving. The study found two distinctive collaborative patterns across the 45 groups that could serve as indicators for learning gains. The paper provides rationale and methodological considerations for collaborative learning, presents key findings and discusses implications for research and design of online learning environment aimed to foster collaborative problem solving skills.