Prior, shared and constructed knowledge from online collaborative interactions

Abstract

Most online courses utilize the online communication venues to form collaborative discussions among learners. This research proposes that online collaborative learning be built over a pedagogical framework comprising of 3 domains, namely, personal knowledge, collaborative sense-making, and articulation of knowledge. This paper will discuss the personal learning space, an e-book, for the students to put their ideas in perspective for individual reflection and brainstorming. This is a cognitive tool for the individual student, to be used in conjunction with the synchronous communication venue, which is a public discussion area. We will study how collaborative interactions among the students develop over time and familiarity. Students' knowledge will be tracked and mapped into themes or categories to see the evolution of students' knowledge within the 3 domains specified, i. e. from the personally-held, to the construction of shared knowledge, and finally, to the personal articulated new knowledge. We will also look for points of emergence of students' new ideas and perspectives, points of students' agreed/disagreed knowledge, and finally, students' application of new knowledge in a different individual assignment