Collaborative Learning: Underlying Processes and Effective Techniques

The demographic makeup of the student population in higher education has changed in dramatic ways over the past decade. These changes have motivated questions about what constitutes knowledge and about how we learn and understand new concepts, processes, and skills. Working from the premise that knowledge is not a quantifiable mass of information to be transmitted but rather a socially constituted process of making meaning within constantly changing and interacting contexts, the authors of this volume seek to define and extend current understanding of collaborative learning in higher education. Each chapter blends theory and practice as it explores a particular aspect of the processes underlying collaborative learning. Case studies from three universities demonstrate collaborative learning in action, its potential and its challenges. This volume uses information about current developments in collaborative learning across the country to extend our understanding of its possibilities and offer guidance to faculty who wish to establish effective collaborative learning classrooms. This is the 59th issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Teaching and Learning. For more information on the series, please see the Journals and Periodicals page. (From the Publisher)