University Professors’ Views and Perspectives on Collaborative Learning in Greece and Australia
摘要
This chapter presents the findings of a research project that discusses and analyses the perspectives of University Professors who implement collaborative learning (CL) in their teaching in Greece and Australia. The aim is to enhance our understanding of the factors that influence their decisions to implement CL in their course including how cultural and social parameters shape educational practices. For this scope, eight Professors from Greece and ten from Australia participated in this study. Each Professor answered questions regarding their understanding of CL and its significance, with a particular emphasis on the advantages it offers in their teaching and their students as well as the challenges they perceive in CL settings. The data were collected and analysed using thematic analysis. Our results indicate that both groups recognize the value of CL in enhancing the quality of learning and highlight several similarities and differences in their perspectives on its implementation in higher education. However, further research is needed on the subject in order to give support to the claim that CL has a positive effect on higher education students’ learning across countries and cultures.