Collective learning

Draft

Definition

Collective learning can refer to different concepts:

• It is sometimes used as a global term for everything that is cooperative, collaborative, etc.
• It can refer to pedagogical designs that feature collective intelligence, i.e. some sorts of sharing activities like it often happens in project-oriented learning designs where teams work on their own project but sometimes must engage in exchange activities.
• It can refer to situations where a collective (i.e. several individuals) go through a same transformation.

Collective learning types

de Laat and Simons typology of "Individual and collective learning processes and outcomes":

		Outcomes
		Individual	Collective
Processes	Individual	Individual learning	Individual learning processes with collective outcomes
	Collective	Learning in social interaction	Collective learning

de Laat and Simons typology of different collective learning types:

	Implicit	Explicit
Individual outcomes	Networking	Learning team
Collective organisational outcomes	Working team	Community of practise
Collective professional outcomes	Working team	Community of learners

References

• de Laat, Maarten and Robert-Jan Simons, Collective learning: Theoretical perspectives and ways to suppport networked learning, Vocational Training, 27. PDF

• De Laat, M., Lally, V., Lipponen, L. and Simons, R.-J. (2007) ‘Online teaching in networked learning communities’, Instructional Science, 35, 257-286