Collaboration

Iinuma, M., Matsuhashi, T., Nakamura, T. & Chiyokura, H. (2014). Collaborative learning using integrated groupware: A case study in a higher education setting. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 4(4), 351-355. DOI: 10.7763/IJIET.2014.V4.42 

Collaboration is considered an essential ‘21^st Century’ learning skill amongst Critical thinking, Creativity and Information Literacy from a Japanese higher education perspective. As a means to promote class interaction and group work, the study supports an integrated Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Groupware system in a higher education setting whereby enrolled students participate in a course. 

The authors detail collaboration as a construction of shared knowledge through activities with others, where the participants are committed to or engaged in shared goals and problem solving [7]. As such a constructivist learning theory which bases its philosophy on the idea that knowledge is constructed by the learner through activity [8]. According to this theory, collaboration fosters deep learning by exposing students to different perspectives and allowing opportunity for negotiation to occur [9], [10].

The purpose of this study is to conduct collaborative learning using Groupware for college students and to evaluate its usage. The method of implementation is on a purpose built platform to gauge individual profiling, classroom interaction and group activities. The content is scheduled over 9 sessions of 90 minutes in duration which includes 16 classes with approximately 30 students per class. The objectives stated are to enhance global awareness, learn the current social issues and to design solutions to problems identified utilising the collaborative process. Group evaluation standards include 6 group assignments and 3 individual assignments.

The group assignments covered group posters, power point slides and presentations with the resource distribution of one desk to four computers in a computer lab per class session. The Groupware application is Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 as it is supported by ‘cloud’ computing accompanied with a web-server platform for formal accessibility to 480 students. For example the ability of multiple users to simultaneously create and co-edit documents in the ‘cloud’ without the necessity to download documents to local computers was the point of group collaboration.  The student activities could then be evaluated with pre-designed worksheets which noted student interaction for creating files and editing duties.

For instance, the co-editing feature in Groupware enabled the instructor to request students co-write in one Excel file. The student responses were then shared to the class with a projector and the benefit to both students and the instructor was the simultaneous nature of the exchange and the ability of the instructor to promote a discussion forum. For example a result showed that students answered most positively to Q15 “I learned something new in class” with average score of 1.99. As such for Questions 1 to 19, showed that that overall, students answered positively to most questions. The resulting comments of Question 20 for students who responded was 10 students commented positively; nine students commented on experiencing technical difficulty with the Powerpoint group worksheet and their inability to co-edit the files and seven students experienced technical difficulty with the groupware login process.

In summary a proposed solution is ‘adequate scaffolding’ to enhance the collaborative process successfully and to produce high quality output through the guidance of instructors. An alternate solution to the technological problem of appropriate usage of the Groupware interface is to provide adequate guideline sets for students to use as they collaborate with instructor and peers during their assessment of each others’ output. For example a proposed use of highly designed groupware and a common college seminar could be transformed into a highly interactive and collaborative environment. It is recommended that further research is needed to implement effective scaffolding solution(s) both human and technological in nature, in appropriate contexts and as a provision to all students.

References

[7] Hamalainen, R. and Arvaja, M. (2009). Scripted Collaboration and Group-Based Variations in a Higher Education CSCL Context. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 53(1), 1-16.

[8] Martens, R., Bastiaen, T. & Kirschner,  P. A. (2007). New Learning Design in Distance Education: The impact on student perception and motivation. Distance Education, 28(1), 81-93.

[9] Huang, J. J. S., Yang, S. J. H., Huang, Y.-M. & Hsiao, I. Y. T. (2010). Social learning networks: build mobile learning networks based on collaborative services. Educational Technology & Society, 13(3), 78-92.

[10] Vygotsky, L. S. (1974). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes (M. Cole, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.