Asynchronous collaborative learning using project-based assignments

The value of collaboration as a tool to promote learning is becoming increasingly more evident. Students engaged in collaborative efforts are typically more actively engaged in the learning activity and retain the information longer. Collaborative activities also parallel the work environment and prepare the student for life after school. Promoting collaboration in a classroom setting is difficult and often resisted by both teachers and students. This difficulty is magnified for courses offered in an online learning environment. As a result, educators are faced with a dilemma: both students and academic institutions are flocking towards asynchronous learning networked courses, but there is no clear understanding of how to foster collaboration, one of the most promising pedagogical tools. Asynchronous online environments can provide meaningful collaborative assignments. This paper details a five-step systems approach for fostering project-based, collaborative learning in an asynchronous learning environment. The steps are illustrated with examples from a graduate-level course in multimedia systems in which asynchronous collaboration was a featured assignment.