This paper reports the work to support learners in the Project Studies module of an international online learning community within the Masters programme for MSC E-learning, Multimedia and Consultancy (ELMAC). This Module aims to enable students to integrate their knowledge and skills in open and flexible learning environments, digital media applications and communication and consultancy practice through their practical application in a workplace setting. This is achieved through a developmental project that involves the practical application of the knowledge and skills gained, combined with a critical evaluation of the process and product. The work process is based on three strands which run through the entire module: Involvement in the Workplace, Reflection and Analysis, and a Dissemination Activity Plan. The relationship between Student, Supervisor, Mentor and Workplace is at the heart of Project Studies and it is the examination of these interacting and complementary viewpoints that provides insight into how students can develop the role of consultancy and the management of change. The context for this study is the ELMAC programme (see http://www.shu.ac.uk/msce-learning/) involving an active partnership between Arnhem-Nijmegen University of Professional Education in the Netherlands and Sheffield Hallam University in the UK. The programme is embedded in professional practice and seeks to develop the profile of the 'problem-solver' / team coordinator at the interface of pedagogical, technological and cultural dimensions of development in a work-based context. The framework for the programme is founded on a socio- constructivist perspective of teaching and learning that places emphasis on communication, interaction and collaboration. The theoretical framework as a whole owes its influence to the ideas of Vygotsky (1962 and 1978) and Lave and Wenger (1991). This framework has also influenced the approach taken to associated research which is underpinned by an emphasis on the social aspects of computer mediated learning and the affordance of technology. The programme as a whole is framed within a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It has an international student cohort and a tutor team from partner universities. It is designed to integrate online learning, local studies and independent learning and emphasises the importance of peer and formative assessment practices. This paper builds on previous work examining developments in the ELMAC programme (Hudson and Pountney, 2004, de Vries and Woldinga, 2004) and draws on current thinking associated with on-line communities of learning. The affordances that virtual learning environments can offer to support and facilitate aspects of study and the relationships that develop around a work-based project are explored. The role of the tutor/supervisor in supporting students to deal with negotiation of meaning and the clarification of goals within the work environment is an important factor here. This aspect of the tutor's role has been found to have a direct bearing on student satisfaction and experience of learning. Finally it presents some reflections on the way that pedagogical practice can be enhanced to achieve the optimum environment for collaborative learning and teaching.