This chapter examines the application of collaborative learning strategies advocated for online learning and uncovers what, in practical terms, occurred when students undertook an online module forming part of an MSc in Adult and Continuing Education at Glasgow University. Three separate forms of collaboration emerged when participants were asked to work together in three small project groups in order to write a joint paper. Groups presented papers that exhibited varying levels of cohesiveness in terms of outcome. Members of the groups also revealed differing levels of participation during the project work. An obvious tension thus arose between individual attitudes to work versus the requirement to collaborate.

This tension instigated an exploration of the conditions under which collaboration is likely to flourish or flounder and prompted the following questions: How can educators ensure that it is within every student’s interest to contribute to group work? How should collaboration in networked learning be evaluated particularly where there is a clear institutional requirement to retain individualised forms of assessment? Whilst we recognise that there are a range of factors which create both affordances and constraints in collaboration the aim of this paper is to examine the relationships between collaboration, assessment and motivation and to consider these in the context of learning.