Aprendizaje cooperativo «on-line» a través del Campus Andaluz l. Análisis de las interacciones

Abstract

One of the most important aspects of cooperative group work is the type of interactions that take place within the group, either among students or between students and the teachers responsible for the group dynamic. If the quality of these interactions is the key element in face-to-face teaching, then it is even more so when tasks are performed out online. This research aims to analyse empirically the phases of cooperative work, its timeline development and the structural factors of the interactions in the learning processes that occur in the performance of cooperative work and in activities within distance learning contexts via digital platforms. To meet this objective, the teachers responsible organized the students into eight secondary groups from the nine universities in the region of Andalusia enrolled in academic year 2008/09, within the framework of the «Intervening in risky behaviour» elective course offered on the Campus Andaluz Virtual. The methodology used was the analysis of activity registers in discussion forums. This article describes how the investigation developed, the tools and resources used, the methodological strategies, and the main results and conclusions. The latter highlight the importance of the teacher-tutor’s actions as the dynamic element in online cooperative work, the fact that the frequency of interactions within the group is a winning factor in the success of learning communities, and the confirmation of the potential of the Net and virtual teaching for the performance of collaborative tasks in which processes of shared reflection are developed.