What is Social-Constructivist Learning Theory

Research shows that successful collaborative learning only occurs when group members systematically activate and sustain their cognition, motivation, behavior, and emotions toward the attainment of their goals. In order to better help online instructors and instructional designers in developing online collaborative learning activities to their instruction, the purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of collaborative learning in online teaching and learning, to examine current online collaborative learning based on a review of scholarly publications, and the trends on issues and challenges pertinent to online collaborative learning. The study discusses some challenges of online collaborative learning as well as strategies for facilitating effective collaborative learning in distance education.