teachers are not in line with what is recommended by
the CSCL research community.
These results seem to highlight there is a need for
teacher training in the field of online collaborative
learning approaches. This is quite in line with Tallent-
Runnels et al. (2006) who state teacher training and
support are crucial to the design and implementation
of quality online environments. Our study has
highlighted there seem to be aspects related to how to
effectively design online collaborative activities that
– although well acknowledged by the research
community - cannot be taken for granted for
practitioners. These aspects include, but are not
limited to, the importance of using structured
techniques, asynchronous communication and the
essential role of artefacts as catalysers of
collaboration.
Further research directions should include data
collection with a larger, international sample, to
compare the results with data concerning other
countries.
Another aspect that deserves further investigation,
is the extent to which the different approaches
adopted in face-to-face or online settings will remain
once the teachers will be free again to choose between
the two delivery modes and to carefully design their
teaching, by choosing technology mediated teaching
when it has a pedagogical added value, and face-to-
face or blended settings, when their advantages
overcome the disadvantages.
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