Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) is a pedagogical approach that fosters learning through the combination of social interactions and technology. Collaboration and social interactions can be an important part of an educational experience. Students can learn from each other and explore ideas in more depth. It also helps to create community.

Creating Community with CSCL

Within an online classroom, if you want your students to engage and collaborate with each other, it is important to create a sense of community. There have been numerous models developed to explore these ideas. Below are two main ideas with some suggestions.

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Community of Practice
Community of Inquiry

Community of Practice

Community of practice was a term coined in the book Situated Learning by Wenger and Lave in 1991. Since then the ideas have expanded and provided a useful lens and model for people within a specific area. A community of practice can be defined as "groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." There are three characteristics to a community of practice:

Domain: Community members have a shared domain of interest, competence, and commitment that distinguishes them from others. This shared domain creates common ground, inspires members to participate, guides their learning, and gives meaning to their actions.
Community: Members pursue this interest through joint activities, discussions, problem-solving opportunities, information sharing, and relationship building. The notion of a community creates the social fabric for enabling collective learning. A strong community fosters interaction and encourages a willingness to share ideas.
Practice: Community members are actual practitioners in this domain of interest, and build a shared repertoire of resources and ideas that they take back to their practice. While the domain provides the general area of interest for the community, the practice is the specific focus around which the community develops, shares, and maintains its core of collective knowledge.

Community of Inquiry

Another approach is through a community of inquiry model. Within this approach, three interacting areas are considered in the learning environment:

Social Presence: “The ability of participants to identify with the community (e.g., course of study), communicate purposefully in a trusting environment, and develop inter-personal relationships by way of projecting their individual personalities.” (Garrison, 2009)
Cognitive Presence: The ability of learners to construct meaning through reflection and discourse within the course.
Teacher Presence: This involves the design, facilitation, and guidance of learners' social and cognitive processes towards an understanding of the relevant learning outcomes (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, 2001)

community of inquiry venn diagram

Extra Resources

University of Toronto Community of Inquiry Model (PDF)

How Can I Integrate CSCL into my Courses?

Use ice breakers or connection exercises to help students get to know each other
Group activities in ways that allow students to interact and learn with each other
Foster inclusiveness by creating opportunities for everyone to have a role and a voice

The next few pages will explore some of the tools used in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning such as Online Whiteboards, Game-Based Learning, Padlet activities, and Asynchronous Discussions.