USING A NON-HIERARCHICAL APPROACH TO COLLABORATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS: THE BRYANT COLLEGE MODEL
Gaytha A. Langlois and Judy Barrett Litoff, Bryant College
The Bryant College Collaborative Learning at a Distance Project (CLD) focuses on a non-hierarchical, collaborative approach to assist NIS countries as they tackle the extraordinary challenges of their political, social and economic transitions from a centralized, Communist model to a more democratic and diversified society. Economic resources for education and infrastructure for proper municipal and regional government are extremely limited; support and funding from the West are essential if the higher education needs and technical training programs for these nations are to be addressed. Internet resources and distance learning programs can provide for efficient delivery and effective training of young leaders who will guide the NIS into the next century. This paper provides an overview of Bryant College’s interactive programs with the European Humanities University in Minsk, Belarus.
Introduction
The collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting economic impact has had enormous consequences for higher education in the Newly Independent States (NIS). More than seventy years of communist rule have left a deep imprint on educational patterns and values. Efforts to introduce western-style education to academic institutions in the NIS are occurring at the precise moment when funding for education has been dramatically curtailed. One way to meet the challenges brought about by dwindling educational resources and the legacy of communism is to introduce cost-effective, collaborative distance learning projects, in conjunction with western colleges and universities.
Since 1997, Bryant College faculty have been involved in a Collaborative Learning at a Distance Project (CLD) with the European Humanities University (EHU) in Minsk, Belarus. The CLD Project centers on a non-hierarchical model of learning, emphasizing reciprocal, interactive learning (Dewey 1966, Johnson & Johnson 1996). This pedagogical approach is relatively unfamiliar to university educators in the NIS (Hazell 1997). Years of centralized education and strong governmental control over curricula have resulted in a teaching/learning environment that does not encourage interactive exchange of ideas between faculty and students. Coupled with an older European model for the university, which fosters a strong organizational hierarchy and a lecture mode of teaching, it is uncommon for professors in the NIS to utilize discussion, encourage questions from students, or design collaborative learning activities for their classes.
Bryant College's Commitment to Non-Hierarchical Model of Learning
Intrinsic to Bryant College’s CLD Project is a commitment to a non-hierarchical model of learning, and to the assumption that there is more than one pathway to learning. One of our colleagues at the European Humanities University, Yuri Stulov, Director of the American Studies Program, commenting on the need for international collaboration, stated, "In today’s multicultural world, there can be no one basic truth." To paraphrase Professor Stulov, we would also suggest that there is no one basic mode of learning. Learning is an interactive process, including multiple exchanges among teachers, students and informational sources. The basic principles underlying our CLD Project are illustrated in Figure 1.
At the heart of our non-hierarchical model is the belief that learning is a collaborative process (Goodsell et al. 1992, Weiner 1992). Collaboration is essential because we learn better when we teach each other and when we learn in multiple ways (e.g., question and answer techniques, team development, case study analysis, demonstrations and brainstorming). Bryant’s approach to the CLD Project is to focus on a small scale, personalized, interactive learning experience, which directly involves the teacher/mentor, student/learner and all other stakeholders in the process.
It is generally agreed that in most situations leadership is not limited to one person’s efforts, and, instead, represents a "set of functions which no one person alone can fulfill" (Saunders et al. 1966, p. 95). Looking forward, it is also widely recognized that team leadership skills will be required for effective functioning in the global marketplace of the future. Professors may well find themselves acting as coaches and mentors to a much more diverse set of learners, located in different geographic regions and possessing widely varying cultural backgrounds, fostering the development of proactive leadership skills that will accompany the teamwork required in the future.
In a learning situation each person’s unique needs and contributions should be valued, and group dynamics should be designed in such a way as to encourage individuals to invest their time and resources(Billson 1994, Saltiel 1998). The concept of the "connected class" captures the idea of fostering a nurturing culture in which mentoring, peer learning and personal experience are encouraged (Sherman & Lyman 1999, p. 1).
We believe that learning at a distance can enhance the collaboration process because this approach forces us to define knowledge as a global process of inquiry, exploration and interaction; and to utilize tools and technology that fosters global interaction. Learning at a distance is by nature an interactive process, utilizing social, cultural and political exchanges. Through the CLD Project we not only open up new worlds for learners, we also create opportunities for these students to become more than recipients of information. Rather, these learners can become agents of change and actors within new spheres. Our CLD pilot courses encourage team-based research and problem solving exercises conducted jointly by Bryant and EHU students.
Collaborative learning also allows students to discover a commonality with other students, but just as importantly, provides for negotiating an understanding of "uncommon" experiences. While teaching courses that focus on international issues, especially when those courses are comprised of students representing a variety of cultures, Bryant faculty have discovered that both obvious and subtle complexities emerge. In one recent course, Cultures and Economies in Transition in the Post Soviet Era, the student composition included representatives from Haiti, Bolivia, Russia and Azerbaijan. Professors Joseph Ilacqua and Judy Barrett Litoff describe a high level of energy that was generated from students within the same classroom, but representing very different cultural backgrounds. Often heated debates ensued as the class tackled the difficult challenge of understanding societies in transition. It was the shared common experiences of the students that enabled them to negotiate their uncommon experiences. In working with students in Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Estonia during the last three years, we have been struck by both the similarities and differences among students in the U.S. and the NIS.
One of the most valuable experiences derived from collaborative learning is that increased ownership and involvement in learning results, wherein the learner takes greater responsibility. Since learning at a distance necessitates an active involvement on the part of the learner, learning can be self-paced and highly individualized (Connick 1999, Oliver et al. 1998). Furthermore, the concept of reciprocal learning encompasses all the actors within the learning process (Peters & Marshall 1998). For example, the interactions of students from different cultures, and with different expertise and skill sets, can lead to unexpected challenges. Professors Litoff and Ilacqua observed a high level of anxiety expressed by Bryant students when they were faced with the possibility of interacting directly with students from Belarus around that nation’s transition issues. Comments included, "I don’t want to look foolish," or "Belarusian students will know more than me." Meanwhile, EHU faculty noted that many of their students feared that their English skills would not suffice, or that their computer skills might not be as advanced. Overcoming these emergent obstacles can indeed be difficult, but mentors can encourage collaborative techniques for negotiating these pitfalls to communication. Students can also be mentors for each other, faculty can demonstrate conflict resolution skills, and human networking can be expanded. Internet technology is especially valuable for developing informational networks, including not only WWW resources, but also by providing direct communication tools via e-mail, video technology and teleconferencing techniques (Michaelsen & Black 1994, Webster & Hackley 1997).
Combining all these ideas, we can achieve the goal of forming the "virtual classroom," and by extension, the "virtual university." We are not suggesting that the virtual university will replace existing educational institutions. However, in keeping with our earlier assumption that there are many pathways to learning, the virtual classroom, with its audiovisual techniques and distance learning capabilities, can supplement activities within our more familiar institutional settings.
In order to tackle the challenge of the virtual classroom, by acting locally while thinking globally, Bryant College has initiated a CLD program that is small, personalized and interactive. The program encompasses collaborative, transnational student mentoring; interactive, Web-based courses; faculty training seminars for EHU professors; a two-way faculty exchange; ongoing e-mail communication; electronic office hours; and occasional interactive web casting and video-teleconferencing. Students and faculty at Bryant and at EHU work in teams, participate in collaborative research projects, and interact on a regular basis.
New Skill Sets Learned by Collaborators
New skill sets often need to be learned by collaborators as they enter non-hierarchical settings. For example, faculty members collaborating on research projects, grant proposals and manuscript preparation must suspend a certain degree of personal independence as they share ideas, blend writing styles and schedule work sessions. The concept of team accomplishment replaces the more familiar terrain of personal gratification, but the process is not necessarily smooth, nor does it occur to the same degree or at the same rate for all the collaborators.
In a similar fashion, students encounter obstacles when attempting to collaborate on learning projects, particularly when writing reports based on team research. Although comfortable with assuming responsibility for a section of the report, writing it individually, and then assembling the written parts, most undergraduates are quite resistant to integrating ideas, editing one another’s writing and trusting that other team members will meet promised deadlines. When coordinating such learning experiences, the professor should not assume that such skills are already in place, and in fact should incorporate a skills development component into all activities and assignments. This is particularly true in learning at a distance programs, where there is not necessarily an immediate mentoring presence as students pursue team-based activities.
As part of Bryant College’s CLD Project with the European Humanities University in Minsk, Belarus, in the summer of 1998 four faculty were in residence for three weeks at EHU, in the American Studies Center. The focus of the visit was to emphasize collaborative, non-hierarchical learning methods; to conduct faculty seminars and to provide Internet training for students and faculty.
In our faculty development seminars at EHU in June 1998, our presentations were designed to illustrate collaboration. By scripting our presentation, and holding to precise time lines, we were able to move seamlessly from one presentor to another, without losing sight of the targeted goals for the seminar. The resultant impact on our listeners was very meaningful, and almost every participant remarked on the value of seeing faculty colleagues collaborating to such a high degree. A great deal of effort was required to design these presentations, including hours of heated discussion about what to include in the seminar, how to best address each issue, who should do the lead-in and the summary, what demonstrations should be included, and how we could effectively use the technology available. In the end, presentors and participants alike felt rewarded by the experience. We had collaborated at all stages of the seminar program, from the coordinated design of the presentations, to the interactive discussions that ensued. It was hoped that this experience could serve as a model for EHU professors as they strive to develop a more collaborative, non-hierarchical teaching style for their own classrooms.
Outreach Activities of CLD Projects
To facilitate the teaching of Web-based courses in Minsk, we are working closely with the Information Technologies Center at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, to establish a Center for International Collaboration (Figure 2). Distance collaboration tools can enhance on-site R&D and facilitate virtual workshops where users can develop the necessary skill sets and knowledge for partnership development that lead to global technology transfer projects. Working collaboratively creates opportunities for Internet users to become agents of change, and to access the global information system. Use of the Internet also fosters expansion of cooperation among countries and enhances the discovery and dispersion of innovative opportunities and solutions to specific problems. By providing a forum for encouraging new partnerships of technical specialists and decision makers in the global R&D community, including the NIS, technology is made easier.
The Center for International Collaboration will be available to faculty, students and researchers working at both state (government-owned) and non-state (private) institutions located throughout Belarus. The Information Technologies Center (ITC) has already established training programs and set up technical conferences for scientists and decision makers in the NIS. Present and future students taking advantage of the Bryant College CLD program will therefore have the additional opportunity to be involved in national and international internships and research projects fostered by the ITC.
Other outreach activities of the Bryant College CLD Project include development of the following projects: an electronic journal, a collaborative textbook in American studies, a special research project focused on the influence of Eastern Europe on the American dream, and an environmental training program for Belarusian teachers.
Conclusion
Underlying all the projects associated with the Bryant College CLD project is a commitment to using non-hierarchical, collaborative approaches to assist NIS countries as they tackle the extraordinary challenges of their political, social and economic transitions from a centralized, Communist model to a more democratic and diversified society. Since economic resources for education are almost non-existent, and infrastructure for proper municipal and regional government is sorely lacking, assistance and funding from the West is essential if the higher education needs and technical training programs for these nations are to be addressed. Internet resources and modest funding programs must be efficiently delivered and effectively targeted for training young leaders who will guide the NIS into the next century. We believe that the Bryant College CLD Project meets these criteria, and look forward to our future collaboration with educational leaders in Belarus and elsewhere in the NIS.
Figure 1. Non-Hierarchical Model of Learning
Figure 2. Center for International Collaboration (Bryant College, Information Technologies Center (ITC) at the
National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, and European Humanities University (EHU), Minsk, Belarus)
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