Exploring Collaborative Learning Environments - A Canadian Perspective
I’m developing and teaching this course as a part of my work as a guest professor at the Leopold Franzens Universität in Innsbruck. Sponsored in part by the Canada Studies Centre at the same university, the course provides an overview of recent contributions to the theory and practice of online collaborative learning, focusing on both the practicalities and the theory associated with the educational use of these technologies. 
Here’s a short course description:
Students will gain an understanding of the practicalities and research approaches associated with online learning environments used for educational collaboration and communication. Special emphasis will be given to asynchronous “discussion” forums, and the ways that they have been studied by Canadian researchers.
The couse Website provides all of the material associated with this course, including PowerPoint files and more.
