Using technology to facilitate social learning

8. Using social learning elements

Expect to see more social learning elements in online learning in 2023 because they give students the opportunity to truly connect and collaborate, share ideas and perspectives, and learn from others.

Example of cohesive social learning efforts in an online course:

• Break students into groups to review specific case studies. • Individual group members answer case study questions in a forum. • Each group uses a video conferencing platform to discuss answers. • After discussing, each group creates a case study summary in a shared Google Doc and three poll questions for the larger class. • The group will present the summary to the class and use real-time polls in the conferencing tool to gather opinions from other students.

Common technologies to facilitate social learning:

• Video conferencing • Gamification software • Discussions, chats, and forums • Social media-like elements • Platforms exclusively for social learning