Collaborative learning was first described as an instructional approach of having students work in groups towards a common learning goal, aiming to the ultimate result of enhancing the learning experience and performance for each member of the group (Johnson, Johnson & Smith, 2013; Alavi, 2018). More specifically, collaborative learning incorporates the exchange of ideas, challenges and conversations that lead to mutual understanding and problem solving (Dillenbourg, Baker, Blaye, & O'Malley, 1995). Although collaborative learning has been researched before, the focus has shifted to analyzing groups as the unit of analysis and each individual student as cognitive pieces in a learning network (Dillenbourg et al., 1995). Collaborative learning positively influences learning in groups (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989) and there exists some agreement among collaborative learning research, social constructivism and connectivism regarding the role of learners in learning groups. Each individual contributes past knowledge and understanding and at the same time gather knowledge from others in the group (Siemens, 2005).

Technology has undoubtedly opened several new opportunities for learning within digital environments. Cope and Kalantzis (2017) identified seven “new learning affordances opened up by digital media” (p. 13). One such affordance is collaborative intelligence. Collaborative intelligence encourages creating dynamic opportunities for learning communities to collaboratively create, refine, and share knowledge that models authentic learning experiences to prepare learners for educational growth and lifelong learning. In this model, intelligence is distributed amongst individuals and environments, and this is accomplished through social interactions rather than at the individual memorization of content. From this perspective, intelligence emerges through collaborative activities and by connections and interactions (Blanken-Web, 2017). Collaborative intelligence involves promoting “a culture of knowledge sourcing and developing skills and strategies for knowledge collaboration and social learning” (Cope & Kalantzis, 2017, p. 34). The central idea behind collaborative intelligence is that knowledge and understanding are deeply rooted and enhanced by social interactions and that it relies on a network of connections (Gee, 2014).

The benefits of collaborative learning are numerous and according to Laal & Ghodsi (2012), they can be distinguished in four categories:

• Social benefits: development of a support system for students through the act of collaboration, better understanding of differences and, thus, diversity, development of learning communities and creation of a positive environment to perform collaboration later on;

• Psychological benefits: reinforcement of learners’ self[1]esteem, reduction of anxiety, development of positive attitudes towards teachers;

• Academic benefits: development of critical thinking skills, active involvement of students’ in the learning process, improved performance results, modelling and practicing of problem solving techniques, personalized lecturing, higher student motivation;

• Assessment benefits: utilization of a variety of assessment techniques, through teacher’s observation of students interacting with each other, explaining their reasoning, asking questions and discussing ideas

https://www.jenniferchangwathall.com/single-post/collaborative-intelligence-in-digital-environments

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331606993_Deepening_e-Learning_through_Social-Collaborative_Intelligence