Assessment in a collaborative learning community should be done by the student, learning colleagues, and the instructor. The actual perception of the students' progress must be taken into account because, as stated by Palloff and Pratt, "what seems like minimal progress to an instructor may be a major leap in a student's eyes" (2007). In distance learning, the self-assessment of the learner is very important as the student works toward learning goals and objectives.
If a student does not want to collaborate in a learning community, other members of the team should try to keep things moving along in an upbeat manner without putting too much pressure on the team member because no one knows why the person is not participating. A couple of email reminder privately asking for the student's input or opinion regarding something on which the team is working, an offer to help if needed, or a gentle reminder of an upcoming due date might help get the person motivated to become involved in the group. The instructor, as facilitator, should follow up with the learner who is not participating and try to find out the reason for the lack of participation, reminding the learner of the shared goals and responsibilities that require for all to participate. Posting guidelines and expectations will be helpful and reminders and comments by the instructor throughout the learning activity can also be beneficial.
References
Pratt, R. P. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
