Abstract:

It has been shown that collaborative learning is a very effective means of learning new knowledge and skills. Collaborative knowledge sharing is an essential skill for higher education graduates to be able to demonstrate to prospective employers. It is believed that one single employee cannot have all of the knowledge needed to ensure their team achieves workplace objectives. Learning to be an effective team member is an accepted part of group work in higher education; however, group work is often missing from virtual learning environments. Potentially our online learners are missing the opportunity for developing this valuable skill as preparation for their employment.

Interviews were conducted with 21 academics from metropolitan and regional universities across four states of Australia. The interviews sought to determine the perceptions of instructors about group work and online group work. Phenomenographic analysis of the interviews resulted in six categories of conception. The categories of conception have been labelled: non-starter; starter; co-ordinator; trusted advisor; reflector; and actuator. The variations found between each of the categories of conception are recognised as dimensions of variation. The dimensions of variation found are characterised as: instructor cognition; group work processes; collaborative ICT; and reflective practice. By understanding the range of perceptions instructors have about group work we will be better able to influence them to change their practice to include more opportunities for online group work in virtual learning environments.

Keywords:

Collaborative knowledge sharing, virtual learning environments, phenomenography.