Collaborative work is widely regarded as a valuable tool in the development of student-centred learning. Its importance can be viewed in two ways: First of all, when students are regularly exposed to collaborative work (i.e. pair work or group work) they are likely to develop or improve a range of communication and interpersonal skills. It is also believed that a properly organized and well run collaborative work could lead students to develop higher cognitive skills. Second, it is often argued that by working collaboratively, students can gain experience and understanding of how tasks are carried out in the workplace. Thus, with collaborative work, students can be prepared for the world of work. However beneficial collaborative work can be, there has been limited research on how students understand and carry out self-directed collaborative work on writing, and how the nature of their collaboration affects their learning. It is against this background that this study was undertaken to examine more specifically, how Rwandan undergraduate university students understand and practice self-directed collaborative work on writing, and how their understandings and practices shape the outcome of their learning. The present study reports on a research conducted in Rwanda and involving a section of undergraduate university students doing an EFL academic writing course. In fact, since 2008, the higher education system of Rwanda has been revamped to embrace a more student-centred approach to teaching and learning. Broadly speaking, this approach consists of encouraging, adopting and displaying attitudes and behaviours geared towards the development of discovery, participation, presentation and application skills in all matters related to teaching, learning and assessment of students (National Council for Higher Education [NCHE], 2007). In the Rwandan context, these strategies are believed to help support students' progressive development of personal and transferable skills, among them, group working skills. In the same context, independent and collaborative works are also highly encouraged in all academic programmes to be offered off-campus (NCHE, 2010). Of particular interest to the present study are student participation skills, understood here as a form of collaboration among students through pair work or group work. More specifically, this study focuses on collaborative work in terms of EFL academic writing.