Problem-based learning online: multiple perspectives on collaborative knowledge construction

Online problem-based learning (PBL) environments afford many opportunities to engage in collaborative knowledge construction. Activity theory is a suitable framework to study such environments and the processes learners go through when using these environments. Two complementary perspectives are blended in this paper in an attempt to create a comprehensive picture of learning using an online PBL system. One perspective is the detailed analysis of tool use and discourse students and facilitator engage in. The second perspective is facilitator reflections about the evolution of the group's collaborative practices and norms.