Collaboration and Practice: From Partnership to the Over-Collaborated Learner

Every student knows a great deal about collaboration as well as collaborative learning in classrooms before they start in higher education. In the UK, sixth form and further education provision are often based on partnerships. Such partnerships do not necessarily support collaborative learning but increasingly, with developments in web technologies, there is potential for collaborative learning across dispersed classrooms. For students, collaborations of all sorts both within and outside universities include virtual networks, social media, as well as online tools. In the UK the term collaborative learning was first applied in school classrooms (Mason 1970) before becoming established in higher education. In the US collaborative learning was more firmly linked to higher education provision from the outset. Workers’ Education Association groups in both countries were sources of collaborative learning extending back to the nineteenth century (Bruffee 1993). Despite such a pedigree, collaborations, partnerships and collaborative learning have only received widespread support over the last 20 years. Costs and resourcing issues are one reason why partnership approaches are encouraged by institutions and government. Online approaches to learning have been another form of influence.