7 Online Collaborative Learning Strategies to Keep Students Engaged

While At Home

A teacher can get students to tune back in by adopting dynamic, collaborative learning
strategies that encourage them to get involved with the material and each other. Studies have
shown that online collaborative learning increases academic performance, knowledge retention,
and interpersonal skills.

Here are seven of our favorite collaborative learning strategies that can easily be adapted to or
enhanced by online learning.
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1. Jigsaw Technique
The jigsaw technique builds on one of the most effective ways to process and retain information
— teaching others. To utilize the jigsaw technique, ask each student to learn just a piece of the
material, then teach it to the group. The group then works together to synthesize the information
and create a presentation about what they’ve learned.

The jigsaw technique works best with small groups (five or six students) and complex topics.
Divide the lesson or required reading into five or six separate sections. Each student is
responsible for researching one part. For example, if you’re studying different countries'
approaches to healthcare policy, one student could research societal views of healthcare, one
the countries' overall health and demographics, one the healthcare systems, and one the
economic impacts of those policies.

Once the students have completed their research, bring them back together to meet in small
discussion boards or private video meetings to share what they’ve learned and to develop a
greater understanding of the concept. Assess the group on their knowledge of all the materials
with a group presentation, project, or essay.

Check out our jigsaw exercise template for an idea of how to run this activity online.

This classic technique has been used for over 40 years to strengthen interdependence, build
communication skills, and even reduce racial conflict. In a jigsaw group, all members have equal
importance, as they all must work together to learn the entire concept.
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2. Think-Pair-Share
The think-pair-share technique is a classroom collaborative learning staple that instructors can
easily reproduce online. Students work together in pairs to analyze, evaluate, or synthesize a
topic and then share their findings with the rest of the class.
To enact the think-pair-share technique, you have to — you guessed it — pair off students
(groups of three also work). The instructor poses a question at the end of class; before the next
session, the groups meet and discuss their responses. The question should be open-ended to
provoke thoughtful discussion. Then ask the students to share their answers either during class
or on a discussion board thread.

Having students talk through their answers with another person before bringing them to the
class boosts the quality of the discussion. Unlike in a traditional classroom where only
volunteers who raise their hands get to participate, every person in the class gets a chance to
reflect and share with another person.
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3. Brainwriting
Two things often happen in class discussions: only the loudest, most confident students
participate, and only the most obvious ideas are shared. Classroom brainstorming sessions are
a helpful way to surface new ideas, questions, and concepts from even the quietest students.
Brainwriting is a simple strategy for encouraging students to generate ideas before a discussion
while ensuring that everyone has a chance for thoughtful participation.

The instructor introduces a discussion topic ahead of the class. Students brainstorm ideas on
their own time, then anonymously submit them (this is easy to set up using Google Surveys).
Before class, everyone can read over the submissions, and those ideas provide a jumping-off
point for classroom discussion.

Brainwriting levels the playing field, allowing even shy students to participate and potentially
shedding light on more creative and exciting answers than students would dare to share in the
classroom. It also prevents a phenomenon called anchoring, where early suggestions greatly
influence the direction of the discussion.
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4. Daily Discussion Questions

Online discussion boards are among the simplest ways to facilitate student engagement while
also enhancing the learning process for everyone. Post daily, or weekly, discussion questions to
spark conversation and encourage students to think about the course materials in new ways.

The key to an active and interesting online discussion is thoughtful, open-ended discussion
questions that promote divergent thinking. Ask students to analyze sources, provide opinions,
maybe even stir up a little controversy. Check out our blog post on how to write engaging
discussion questions for more tips on crafting really effective questions.
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5. Break-Out Group Discussions

Not everyone is comfortable speaking up in large groups, particularly in classes with hundreds
of students. You can segment your class into smaller break-out groups to make sure everyone
has a voice.

Separate students into smaller discussion groups of 20 people or less. Each group should have
a moderator to help facilitate the discussion and monitor the group for any conflicts or issues
that arise. This could be a teaching assistant or even just a student volunteer. You can give
them guided discussion questions as above, or simply let them discuss and ask questions about
course materials.

Small-group discussions can make a large class feel more manageable. Students can ask for
help when they’re struggling, and in turn, help and teach each other.
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6. Peer Review
Having students review each other’s work is a great way to make sure each student benefits
from individual feedback and attention, even in a large group.

To facilitate a flawless peer review, you’ll need to anonymously pair students to review each
other’s work. Give students the tools they need to perform a successful review: sample reviews,
assessment rubrics, and guidelines on giving constructive feedback. Check out Eduflow’s peer
feedback template to help you get started.

Studies have shown that the peer review process has numerous benefits for both the reviewer
and the reviewee. Giving and receiving in-depth feedback from their peers helps students
deepen their knowledge of the subject matter and improve their writing skills.
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7. Scaffolding
Scaffolding isn’t a strategy unique to collaborative learning, but it is a useful general strategy for
structuring your collaborative course.

You can’t build a house without construction scaffolding, and you can’t expect students to do
complex group work without supporting materials to guide them. Instructional scaffolding is a
learning strategy where you build harder concepts on top of simpler ones. In the context of
group work, this involves providing examples, setting community guidelines, and even doing trial
runs together as a class. Use scaffolding to support students as they learn how to work
together, then remove the restraints and let them stand on their own merits.

To properly scaffold, set expectations for students early on. For example, if a large part of your
students’ grades hinges on discussion board participation, share examples of good comments
and follow-up questions, and discuss their characteristics. As a group, set guidelines for
discussion board behavior. The 7 Norms of Collaboration is a good jumping-off point for
deciding what you want class discussions to look like.

You can also scaffold individual discussion topics by requiring students to read and complete
activities before they are allowed to post about the topic. This guarantees that students come to
the discussion informed and ready to make a meaningful contribution. Over time, decrease the
amount of oversight and let students lead discussions on their own by developing their own
discussion topics.
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Collaborative Learning Strategies Turn Remote Learning into an Opportunity

The sudden shift toward remote learning hasn’t been easy, but collaborative learning techniques
can help students feel involved and engaged even through a computer screen.

Online collaborative learning doesn’t just happen spontaneously. It requires careful planning
and the right tools to make participation smooth and simple. Eduflow can help with our premade
templates and flows designed to help you engage learners, even from a thousand miles away.