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This paper argues that for the study and facilitation of collaborative learning, existing theories of grounding such as that of Clark and Shaefer [5] cannot be applied without adjustments. When comparing collaborative learning and conversation, four dimensions can be identified where grounding at a knowledge level differs from the grounding at an utterance level. Firstly, the indirect access and the existence of a range of manifest meanings, poses the need for a notion of ‘groundedness'. Secondly, we propose providing evidence in ‘co-referenced actions' to be an important process as well as an additional marker to assess grounding. Thirdly, instead of simply repairing misunderstandings after they arise, ‘perspective taking' becomes a more prominent mechanism. Fourthly, effort into grounding is turned from needing to be minimised, into needing to be ‘optimised'.

In 4 different research projects taking place in our department, students, teachers, researchers, policymakers and policemen are communicating and interacting through shared electronic work spaces between face to face meetings. The students interact about their studies in pedagogy. The teachers, researchers and policymakers interact about ICT in higher education. The researchers are from different universities all over Europe and interact between meetings about their collaborative research project. The policemen interact about drugs and new policy issues in the police organisation. The projects have similar theoretical starting points (social constructivism, knowledge building, shared understanding), as well as their differences. One project is focusing on community building. Another on reaching common understanding through grounding. A third is looking at work place learning and a fourth focuses on intercultural understanding and the role of language. Data are mainly the protocols of collaboration. In some projects additional data refer to interviews and video protocols. Apart form the interaction data in the virtual work space, also the face to face interactions are analysed. After an overview of thecontexts and methods of the projects, the paper will present an overview of ways to reach shared understanding and inhibitors of interaction and communication in these various environments.