Collaborative learning can, if designed and implemented properly, contribute to student learning outcomes and prepare them for teamwork. However, the design and implementation of collaborative learning in practice depend on beliefs of lecturers about teaching and learning in general, and collaborative learning in particular. One hundred and fifteen lecturers in higher education completed a survey on collaborative learning practices and beliefs. Additionally, 10 lecturers participated in a semi-structured interview. Lecturers considered the design of collaborative learning to be complicated. Their beliefs about the contribution of collaborative learning to (a) learning outcomes and (b) student motivation were more positive than beliefs about the effort that students are willing to dedicate to collaborative learning. Lecturers' arguments for applying collaborative learning were consistently more student-oriented than lecturer-oriented. More student-oriented lecturers varied more in their collaborative learning practices. To enhance the benefit of collaborative learning, teachers need more support in the design and implementation of collaborative learning to translate knowledge about collaborative learning into effective practice.

In this study, it was hypothesized that collaborative learning in international higher education contributes to the development of intercultural competence. Two hundred fifty-two students of an International Business and Management Study program of a Dutch university participated in two surveys on collaboration in a group-learning activity and one survey on their development of intercultural competence. In addition, three groups of four to six students took part in focus group interviews. The results indicated that when students perceive that the group process improves, the quality of the collaboration in terms of verbal interaction and equal contribution will also improve. Furthermore, the results revealed that a higher perceived quality of the collaboration relates to an increasing development of intercultural competence. The findings are discussed and related to implications for the use of group-learning activities in international higher education.

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