Collaborative learning refers to students working together to achieve a common goal in a
shared learning environment. In collaborative problem solving however, that common goal becomes a problem that the group needs to work together to solve.
One main difference between collaborative learning and collaborative problem
solving is in the nature of the activity. Much of the support for the importance of working
collaboratively comes from social constructivists.
The nature of collaborative problem solving introduces additional cognitive processes
to the equation of working collaboratively. It focuses on how cognitive processes such as
goal setting, connecting information and patterns and testing hypotheses can be managed
in a collaborative environment.
These characteristics of collaborative problem solving stimulate the need for new
approaches to assessment, as exemplified in this paper.