6. Creating and maintaining collaborative learning groups
ETutors may create learning groups and unite members of these groups. To feel as a member of the group and develop a group identity, learners need to get to know each other/one another. As an eTutor, it is your responsibility to foster a collaborative environment so that the group product is the result of a common effort and responsive to a common goal. This environment is created by setting goals and designing a project that can be reach or completed only if each group member contributes to the work. You may want to make sure collaborative learning outcomes on the related tasks/projects are more than individual learning ones.
Address group members as teams rather than individuals. As collaborative work advances, hand over the organising responsibility to group members so that they work as a team and take responsibility on their group assignment and organisation of the collaborative work to complete the assignment. In this case, you will remain in the background and help if only necessary (such as supporting members of the groups who took most responsibilities).