Collaborative E-learning Tool for Secondary Schools

Abstract

Nowadays, educational technology is getting growing importance for the learning environment. So e-learning is an essential tool for teaching and learning. Many researches have been done to investigate the effectiveness of e-learning. Therefore consideration must be given to the development of collaborative activities, which enables students to learn together. So, this research offers collaborative learning for good learning environment to do homework and projects. The purpose of the study was to find out the essential tools and features on collaborative software, particularly on Secondary School and Pre University learners’ participation. It also aimed to design collaborative software to do homework and project together in separate places. The instruments used to gather data were interviews and also a survey which undertook the completing of two printed questionnaires for both learners and teachers before the implementation of the software and afterwards. The data collected was then subjected to statistical analyses. The findings gathered and analyzed in Educational Complex of Imam Khomeini Kuala Lumpur were found to satisfy the involvement in collaborative learning at home. Collaborative learning can be put into practice to enhance learning and teaching. The respondents were willing to consider Collaborative learning as they plan to do homework and project together for better learning environment. The two main criteria for choosing collaborative software were its software contents and web page accessibility. The proposed model “Lotfi VCL” (Lotfi Virtual Collaborative Learning) gives an application of the tools and features of collaborative learning software suitable for learners’ and teachers’ collaborative activities. Lotfi VCL has been evaluated by students and teachers and the results are reported to be satisfactory. Finally, the research contributions and future enhancements are elaborated.