Abstract: Online learning environments offer new opportunities for learning and
over the last decade or so a variety of online learning environments have been
developed by researchers to facilitate collaborative learning among students. In
this paper we will present a case study of a successful collaborative learning
design. This involves a near synchronous online seminar where students work in
small groups to produce a report that examines media coverage of controversial
science, using archives of television news reports. We will analyze the activity's
task design features by employing a framework of collaboration enabling design
approach proposed by Kirschner et al (2004). We will start with an analysis of
the collaborative processes and interaction among participants in this online
activity. Then we will examine the features of the task used in this learning
environment with respect to the interaction design ideas proposed by Kirschner
et al. They suggest that the use of appropriately designed and implemented
educational, social and technological affordances is the foundation for
stimulating, motivating and maintaining collaboration among learners. We use
the framework to identify factors contributing to the success of the activity.