<s>
Similar	O
to	O
computer-supported	O
collaborative	O
learning	O
(	O
CSCL	O
)	O
,	O
virtual	B-Protocol
collaborative	I-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
environments	O
aim	O
to	O
produce	O
technology-based	O
learning	O
processes	O
where	O
participants	O
can	O
work	O
together	O
as	O
a	O
group	O
to	O
construct	O
and	O
share	O
knowledge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
context	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
collaborative	I-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
,	O
virtual	O
structures	O
and	O
spaces	O
are	O
designed	O
for	O
individual	O
and	O
collaborative	O
learning	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
collaborative	I-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
in	O
terms	O
of	O
problem-oriented	O
project	O
work	O
in	O
groups	O
facilitated	O
is	O
becoming	O
increasingly	O
common	O
in	O
distributed	O
learning	O
settings	O
where	O
participants	O
are	O
physically	O
in	O
different	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
affordances	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
collaborative	I-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
are	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
synchronously	O
and	O
asynchronously	O
communicate	O
via	O
an	O
array	O
of	O
electronic	O
tools	O
,	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
barrier	O
to	O
virtual	B-Protocol
collaborative	I-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
is	O
the	O
difficulty	O
in	O
achieving	O
agreement	O
when	O
diverse	O
viewpoints	O
,	O
cultural	O
boundaries	O
,	O
acuity	O
of	O
thoughts	O
,	O
or	O
different	O
working	O
and	O
cognitive	O
learning	O
styles	O
exist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Protocol
collaborative	I-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
systems	O
can	O
be	O
divided	O
into	O
two	O
main	O
categories	O
:	O
action-oriented	O
from	O
where	O
the	O
participant	O
’s	O
knowledge	O
is	O
captured	O
and	O
shared	O
or	O
text-oriented	O
which	O
focuses	O
on	O
participants	O
sharing	O
knowledge	O
via	O
written	O
communication	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
evolution	O
of	O
virtual	B-Protocol
collaborative	I-Protocol
learning	I-Protocol
systems	O
will	O
depend	O
upon	O
the	O
participant	O
's	O
cognitive	O
processes	O
.	O
</s>
