Collective Knowledge Building in Virtual Settings: An Experience with University Students Collective Knowledge Building in Virtual Settings: An Experience with University Students

Abstract

In pedagogical practice, the didactic process is generally developed in three important stages: presentation, practice, and production. The object of this research is focused on the students’ collective knowledge building in virtual settings. Therefore, to carry out this study, five strategies based on cooperative learning were selected. The aim of this research is to analyze the possibilities these strategies offer to generate knowledge in collaborative, dynamic, and participatory ways, seeking the development of cognitive and socio-affective skills. The research approach was qualitative with an interpretive perspective. Thus, the main method was action research which was utilized from the diagnosis, design, and application of an action plan to its evaluation. The main results demonstrate that the following strategies: “gallery of authors, research groups and joining heads” are applied in building knowledge in the practice stage; while, “searching for cases and weekly sharing content” are utilized in consolidating knowledge in the production stage. All of the strategies mentioned previously have allowed the development of cognitive and socio-affective skills in university students. The cognitive skills include critical thinking, verbal reasoning, and mastery of content; and the socio-affective skills involve active listening and consensus.