The use of authentic tasks to facilitate experiential learning has been shown to be effective in many studies (Baird & Fetherston, 1999; Berryman, 1991; Carver, 2001; Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989; Duncan, 1996). This paper discusses how an authentic activity was used to introduce, develop and implement a collaborative learning approach for a short, intensive, mostly IT- based programme, for a group of post-graduate trainers and facilitators from disparate backgrounds. Team-based learning activities were used to encourage collaborative interaction between students through peer mentoring. Formative feedback on ideas was explored, and potential solutions presented, when investigating real tasks and emergent problems.

Keywords: authentic tasks, collaborative learning, peer mentoring