Theory

Collaboration, group interaction and problem solving are an important and interesting aspects of online education. The articles written by Lou (2004), Beckstead (2006), and Kachel, Henry, Keller (2005) all share different examples of how group participation the web-base instruction.

Lou addressed the fact the online courses focus on traditional learning and knowledge acquisition without solving real-world problems.  Online courses are often designed like-face-to-face courses to deliver lectures, readings, communication and tests.  Web-based courses need to help students learn to solve real-world problems and learn problem-solving skills.  One of the aspects of problem solving is small group learning and how students work together effectively especially in an online environment where communication between groups is often limited and peers don’t share information with each other. 

Lou studied problem solving and collaboration with educational technology students who worked in groups creates an online course.  The study was designed to collect qualitative data from online discussions, journal entries and quantitative data from pre-tests and post-tests as well as an attitude questionnaire.  One of the most interesting aspects of the study was “between group” collaboration where students would review other group presentations to learn from their mistakes, successes and implementation strategies.

The findings about group’s participation focused on participation, leadership styles, workload, and attitudes about working together.  Most of the discussion about group participation seemed to be similar to problems that a group would have working face-to-face as well as an online environment. The most interesting aspect of the research project was the positive feedback from the students about the “between group” participation.  One-hundred percent of the students agreed (Lou, 2004 p.54)t hat the cross- group collaboration helped them to see the strengths and limitation of their course design, ninety-one percent found that observing other’s work helped them learn more about problems and designing effective strategies. 

Lou’s research shows how group collaboration and participation can create meaningful online courses and problem solving.  The sample was small, only eleven people participated in the study. Also the article was published in 2004 and advances in the design of online course will have developed. Nonetheless, it show how beneficial online collaboration can be.

Kahel, Henry, and Keller office tips and advice and best practices on distance learning for high school students.  They explain that students should be actively engaged in the course. The content should be up-to-date.  The site should be designed for easy access and streamlined use.  Activities and projects need to be clear with direct instructions and criteria.  Immediate feedback is important and e-mail should be used to clarify assignments. 

Whether the class is synchronous or a synchronous communication is important. Student interaction should be designed and directed by the instructor for meaningful interaction. They explain that interactivity is one of the most exciting aspects of online education because in a traditional classroom only a few students can answer an teacher's questions but online everyone participates. They suggest laying out a clear rubric for chat functions, forums, and other forms of communication.  Kahel, Henry, and Keller explain (p.15) that clear expectations encourage students to think about their responses, build reflection, critical thinking, and sharing meaningful ideas.

Kahel, Henry, and Keller also explained that instructors, facilitators, and students have a different set of skills in an online environment.  Teachers should be willing to learn new technologies and use new teaching techniques, materials and methods.  Students also need to be self-disciplined, self-motivated, and have strong work ethic.  Students should also be willing to learn basic technology skills.  They suggested that a hybrid online course that combines face-to-face class time and online learning would be the most beneficial for high school students. 

Beckstead wrote about international collaboration between university students in Canada and Australia studying radio communications.  The students contacted each other online and introduced themselves and communicated in a blog. Each group then produced a radio story with an open-ended ending so that the story could “bounce” back and forth between the universities in Australia and Canada.  Students would also provide each other feedback about their stories and ideas and contact each other through the blog. 

Beckstead used a bouncing story to motivate students, encourage interaction between students and professors to gain meaningful feedback.  This strategy also increased the level of student engagement and facilitated teamwork between locations. Students found that the bouncing story helped in increase their production ability, their willingness to work as a team, and their understanding of radio drama.  Ninety-four percent (Beckstead, p.145) found that working with students overseas was worthwhile and motivated them to do better work. 

Collaboration in web-based learning is beneficial to students and educators. Peer-to-peer collaboration seems to be one of the most important aspects to students.  Educators can encourage learning with creative methods and innovation strategies to engage their students and help them collaborate.

Beckstead, L. (2006). International, Online Collaboration. International Journal of Learning, 13(8), 143-148. Retrieved December 14, 2007, from Education Research Complete database. 

Kachel, D., Henry, N., Keller, C. (2005). Making It Real Online: Distance Learning for High School Students. Knowledge Quest, 34(1) , 14-17.

Lou, Y. (2004, May). Learning to solve complex problems through between-group collaboration in project-based online courses. Distance Education, 25(1), 49-66. Retrieved March 3, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database.