1.1 Collaboration

Collaboration between learners, and between learners and educators, is an important factor in both synchronous and asynchronous online education. It helps to create a sense of connection between all participants and to build a sense of community and shared purpose.

Collaboration in a synchronous environment can be achieved in much the same way as in a classroom, with discussions and group tasks. In an asynchronous environment collaboration can be trickier, but is still very important in reducing the sense of isolation some learners feel when working online. Discussions and group tasks can work just as well asynchronously as synchronously. In fact, asynchronous discussion and collaboration can sometimes work better: because of the lack of time constraints, learners can spend time composing a higher-quality response or contribution.