Collaborative learning: Teaching to build new partnerships

The advantages of collaborative learning are well documented in terms of the development of social skills, the depth of academic learning achieved and preparation for the workplace. Many students, however, are not familiar with working in groups and thus the delivery of courses in whole or in part through collaborative learning poses serious problems of group dynamics and student uncertainty, and for some students group learning processes are incompatible with their learning style preferences and goals. Addressing these problems and teaching students specific skills is crucial for learning collaboratively.