Collaborative Learning: Finding Study Buddies

People’s studying preferences are largely a function of their standards of socialization. For example, individuals who are introverted usually favor learning in isolation, while extroverted people will probably seek out others with whom they can study the subject matter. Those who fall into the second category (and sometimes even those in the first group) can benefit significantly from finding the right study buddy—ideally, a person who brings considerable knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to the learning process. Experts in the learning field have long recognized the value of having a study partner. In the certification world, though, not much has been done to promote collaborative learning, at least before candidates obtain their credentials. (Many certification programs create communities for certificants that offer these kinds of experiences, but only after the credentials have been attained.) This might be changing, however. For instance, Microsoft had a two-for-one MCP exam promotion last year that was set up for the expressed purpose of getting certification candidates to study with each other. Al Valvano, business and product strategy group manager for Microsoft Learning’s certification and assessment operations, explained that it was designed to help them perform better on the test.

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