Collaborative learning can be referred to as a situation where two or more than two people are involved in the process of learning. It is quite different from individual learning in that those who are into collaborative style of learning share each other’s skills and resources which include getting information from one another, analyzing and monitoring each other’s work, and the like.
In specific terms, this method of learning is based on the idea that knowledge could be generated within a certain population where the members actively participate by sharing their experiences and assume asymmetrical roles. In fact, in collaborative learning, all the learners are responsible for each other’s activities. There are various methods employed for evaluating the process of collaborative learning like statistical discourse analysis, conversation analysis, and so on. The different learning activities involved in collaborative learning includes group projects, debates, collaborative writing, study teams, and many more. Further, this kind of learning is often considered as a cognitive process in which adults act as knowledge facilitators and children act as receivers.
There are different examples of collaborative learning which include collaborative networked learning, learning management system, computer-supported collaborative learning or CSCL, collaborative learning development, collaborative learning in virtual worlds, and the like.
To sum it up, collaborative learning is quite beneficial when compared to individual learning because students tend to learn more when they are exposed to collaborative kind of learning.