A researcher reported that over 80% of L&D professionals thought collaborative learning was significant to an organization’s success. Companies understand the importance of collaborative learning and are figuring out the best ways to implement it.
Various learning technologies like LMSs and employee onboarding tools allow organizations to use collaborative learning in their training programs.
In this article, let’s explore collaborative learning theory and how to use it for your training.
What Is Collaborative Learning Theory?
Collaborative learning is when two or more people learn or accomplish a goal together. It has a lot of advantages compared to individual learning. Employees need to learn how to work together to become better team players.
The theory suggests that when people learn together, they share ideas and experiences, allowing them to learn from one another.
Additionally, the results of multiple minds contributing to the same concept or striving for the same objective are always superior to those working alone.
Some advantages of the collaborative learning theory
- Your team will get better at problem-solving
- Allows social interaction
- Allows your employees to come up with unique, creative solutions
- Improves communication skills
- It makes the training more engaging
- Employees learn how to be team player
- It makes your training more entertaining
- Employees with reserved personalities
Ways to Implement Collaborative Learning Theory
Want to use the collaborative learning theory in your training? Here are some ways to implement it in your workplace.
Peer Training
Learning from peers is what we call peer training. Employees love to learn from experienced employees rather than instructors who don’t go beyond the curriculum.
Peer training is effective and is also cost-effective.
To implement peer training, you can encourage your employees to develop short or long courses for the employees.
Your L&D technology needs features that allow peers to create content. Ask your employees to answer queries asked by the employees on discussion forums and other platforms.
Collaborative Problem-Solving Assignments
Topics like compliance training are better to learn individually. For collaborative learning, you should always use problem-solving assignments that require brainstorming.
People can develop unique solutions when they work on the same problem with their unique perspectives. Moreover, they can also pick up soft skills like leadership, confidence, dispute resolution, keeping an open mind to new ideas, adjusting to various types of people, and more.
Prepare problem-solving assignments for your employees. To enable collaborative assignments, you’ll need software that allows learners to interact with each other and work together.
Some learning management systems let you use simulations to help employees understand the real thing. You can use simulations in group projects as well.
Learning Communities
You can form internal discussion forums and communities to help your employees communicate and collaborate.
If you use a Learning Management System with community-building features, you’ll get access to online chat, groups, and more. Your employees can post queries and get them answered by their peers.
Communities help a lot with peer training. Your employees can share their experiences on the communication channels, allowing them to learn from each other.
Include Peer Reviews
Getting constructive feedback from peers is a good method of 2-way learning.
When your employees submit an assignment, you can allow other learners to see and comment on it. Your employees will see each other’s assignments and compare them to theirs.
This allows them to find gaps in their approach and unique ideas that never crossed their mind.
Wrapping up
Collaborative learning theory is one learning theory you should consider understanding and implementing in your training program.
It is the best theory to develop a workforce that can work as a team.
