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Laurier is a community of scholars engaged in research, teaching and learning. Our academic work is about creating and sharing knowledge in all kinds of ways: we may be conducting research, presenting at a conference, participating in a panel, or publishing a paper. Even in the classroom, as students, we are creating and sharing knowledge when we participate in class discussion, deliver a presentation, or hand in a paper. There is a collaborative dimension to all our academic work.
Collaboration in academic work can take many forms. We may be working on a group project or a co-authored paper or presentation. We may also be preparing for a test or working on a paper that we will write individually. Even in these contexts of individual work, academics rarely work in complete isolation. Scholars at all levels often talk with others about the things they’re working on. It’s important to know how to collaborate constructively and avoid collusion, which is a type of academic misconduct.
When we talk and work with others, we want to ensure that we are acting in honest, responsible, and fair ways. Let’s look at some examples of constructive collaboration and the skills involved:
Joining the conversation in class is one of the most straightforward ways to collaborate in knowledge building and sharing. Classrooms are communities of inquiry (citation here). We may have ideas to share or want to express agreement or disagreement with another person’s point. To be constructively collaborative (even when disagreeing), it’s important to acknowledge others in respectful ways. Approaches like these can make participation a more positive experience for everyone:
Remember, your professors want you to engage in critical thinking. You don’t have to accept anything at face value, but you should give ideas careful consideration and, if you disagree, be able to explain why with reasoned analysis.
Posting on a course discussion board is another form of participation in class discussion. We are being encouraged to share our thoughts and engage with one another in writing. Approach posting and responding with the same consideration for respectful engagement that you would in-person: while it’s conversational, it’s still academic.
For some helpful suggestions, check out this blog post on “How to Succeed in Online Discussions.
Group work is a fantastic opportunity to continue to build your communication and teamwork skills, which are great transferable skills for a wide variety of jobs. Employers expect that we will be able to delegate and share work to accomplish goals and objectives.
One of the best ways that we can support constructive collaboration during group work is to engage in some preparatory discussions. When meeting for the first time (in-person or online either synchronously or asynchronously), come to a group decision about several things:
When everyone is on the same page in terms of expectations, group work can support improved learning and critical thinking – worthy competencies for sure!
Studying with a friend or a group of classmates can be a great strategy to prepare for an upcoming test or exam. But to make group study time most effective, it’s important that everyone comes to the meeting prepared. This means spending some time engaging in individual studying and review.
It’s easier to have a conversation about the subject matter or to answer one another’s questions about course content when everyone is at least somewhat familiar with the material. Helping each other improve understanding is constructive collaboration in action!
Here are some group study strategies that you can try:
A lot of the work that we do involves tasks that we’re expected to complete independently. This means that no one else should be involved in helping us craft an answer or suggesting what we should say. If you’re using other people’s ideas or words, that is plagiarism.
However, talking about what you’re working on and learning can help you think through what you want to communicate and organize your ideas.
There are many constructive ways to get feedback on your work that can be very helpful:
Collusion is when people work together in an unauthorized way to gain an advantage. If you are tasked with doing an assignment independently, then it is inappropriate to have someone else work on that assignment with or for you – it’s no longer constructive collaboration; it becomes collusion.
To ensure that you are always collaborating constructively consider the principles of honesty, responsibility, and fairness. If your professor found out about your communication with others, ask yourself would your actions hold up to those principles. If so, you’re golden!
Meet Ivan.
Ivan is an undergraduate student and supplemental instruction leader. With experience mentoring other students in their program and collaborating with peers on assignments, he has identified the different between seeking academic support for independent projects and getting inappropriate assistance with assignments.