Η συνεργατική μάθηση ως εργαλείο υποστήριξης φοιτητών εξ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης

Abstract

In this paper, an attempt has been made to present the role of learning communities formation, the emotional support and the performance of the students in the field of distance learning. Through the literature review and semi-structured interviews of students of the Hellenic Open University, important elements emerged about the necessity of learning communities whose effectiveness is based on interaction, communication, continuous renewal of systems, while at postgraduate level students and researchers contribute to development of research skills. Also, the important role of the participation of teachers in the learning communities was revealed, while at the same time there were presented some tools of collaborative learning as well as methods of synchronous and asynchronous communication. Additionally, there have been concerns about online learning communities as it has appeared that although it is an innovative tool for learning and an important aid in supporting students in their learning paths, they have not managed to overcome some problems not only of a technical nature but of interaction, large amount of messages, etc. Finally, students' basic concepts of EAP, were presented, on the role of community and collaborative learning.