Abstract:

Collaborative work (CW) is one of the most effective tools available to teachers during their work in the classroom. It allows the development of technical skills while perfecting soft skills of great importance today. Workgroup occurs naturally in most contexts, whether inside or outside the school environment; these interactions are so natural among human beings but do not necessarily consider all the elements of CW.
From a constructivist perspective, the social character of learning implies that people actively build knowledge through interaction with the environment. Piaget establishes that learning consists of generating cognitive structures that are enriched through the interaction of the individual with the environment [2-5]. Vygotski, Cole and Luriia [6] complement Piaget's approach and emphasizes that social interaction is crucial for learning and transmitting culture. Vygotski, Cole and Luriia [6] also introduce the concept of the zone of proximal development, which is defined as the distance between the actual level of development and the level of potential development, in which the actual level is determined by the person's ability to solve a problem independently. In contrast, the level of potential development is determined by the person's ability to solve a more complex problem through more preparation or collaboration with a more capable partner [6].
The analysis and understanding of CW best practices in a unique and specific environment can help teachers design early on CW experiences with better chances of success, even for new teachers. Generational changes imply changes in values and in the way of relating and therefore creating and sharing knowledge. Considerations such as the number of team members, the selection criteria of the members, the way to define the work policies and their application, and the consequences of not complying with the agreements can make a difference in the results of the CW by promoting or inhibiting social interactions (social networks), which are vital to the functioning of the team and, therefore, to the outcomes of the individual and group learning process [10].
The study was developed over one year, and the validated Questionnaire for the Analysis of Cooperation in Higher Education (ACOES questionnaire) [1] was used for data collection.
The study showed that students recognized the importance of CW and the best practices that must be followed to optimize results. They indicated the main weaknesses of CW were the imbalance in team members’ participation in activities, communication problems, and lack of effective self-evaluation and co-evaluation.
The importance of questioning the assumptions about students´ perceptions of CW in a specific context and situation resides in the opportunity to understand the needs of students and promote better teaching practices to perform CW.

Keywords:

Collaborative work perceptions, Best practices for collaborative work, Collaborative work dimensions, Undergraduate students.