CSCL is a key trend in e-learning since it highlights the importance of social interactions as an essential element of learning. CSCL is an interdisciplinary domain, which demands participatory design techniques that allow teachers to get directly involved in design activities. Developing CSCL designs using the Learning Design specification is a difficult task for teachers since it is a complex technical specification, and modelling collaborative characteristics can be tricky.

Collage helps teachers in the process of creating their own potentially effective collaborative Learning Designs by reusing and customizing patterns, according to the requirements of a particular learning situation. These patterns, called Collaborative Learning Flow Patterns, represent best practices that are repetitively used by practitioners when structuring the flow of (collaborative) learning activities. An example of a Learning Design that can be created using Collage is illustrated in the paper. Preliminary evaluation results show that teachers with experience in collaborative learning, but without Learning Design knowledge, can successfully design real collaborative learning experiences using Collage.

Find out more and download a copy of the paper - part of a special issue devoted to current research in Learning Design - here .

Patterns are explored in other Kaleidoscope activities, including Learning Patterns for the design and deployment of Mathematical Games and Design patterns for recording and analysing usage of learning systems.