ORIGINAL ARTICLE Why a Special Issue on Collaborative Learning in Postsecondary and Professional Settings? Michael Sweet & Marilla Svinicki Published online: 19 December 2006 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2006 Abstract To introduce the special issue on collaborative learning in postsecondary and professional education, the editors describe their reasons for assembling it. First, most of the existing collaborative learning research focuses on K-12 settings; second, some forms of collaborative learning are used predominantly or exclusively in postsecondary or professional education; and finally, increasing numbers of adults are getting some or all of their college education online. The introduction concludes with the editors explaining their decision not to take a position on the nomenclature question (“collaborative” vs. “cooperative” vs. “peer” vs. “small group” learning) which pervades the literature. Keywords Collaborative learning . Cooperative learning . Peer learning . Small group learning . College . University . Postsecondary . Professional school . Active learning Research into the learning that occurs when students work together already abounds (O’Donnell, 2006; Webb & Palincsar, 1996)—and continues to proliferate—so why do we need a special issue on collaborative learning in postsecondary and professional settings? A few answers to this question led us to assemble the issue you are now reading. First, though research into collaborative learning at the college level has a long history, the lion’ s share of research into the effectiveness of specific cooperative learning methods has by far focused on the K-12 levels (Johnson, Johnson & Stanne, 2000). Therefore, Johnson, Johnson and Smith open our issue by illuminating the important role that cooperative learning research can play in current conversations about the state of quality in higher education, conversations in which some claim that American higher education is “Declining by Degrees” (Hersh & Merrow, 2005). After weighing-in on these important conversations, the authors summarize the theoretical constructs underpinning cooperative learning research and review what that research has told us so far. As they point out, however, though the research tradition into cooperative learning is now over three decades Educ Psychol Rev (2007) 19:13–14 DOI 10.1007/s10648-006-9037-9 M. Sweet (*) : M. Svinicki Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station Stop G2100, Austin, TX 78712, USA e-mail: msweet@austin.utexas.edu