The Process of Building a Learning Community Using Collaborative Strategies and Technologies

Abstract

The objective of this article is to present a collaborative learning experience that created a learning community, which included students and their teacher. This community was formed in an advanced oral communication Spanish class at Duke University, where students collaborated with their teacher in the creation of content and by taking certain decisions about the assessment of a course task. The combination of collaborative and technological strategies built an environment where linguistic and discursive skills were improved, and that in turn, created a platform that facilitated critical thinking. This educational experience transformed the roles of students and that of the professor to allow a maximal collaboration and integration of their roles.