Use Of Collaborative Learning Research Articles

Constraints and strategies for effective use of social networking sites (snss) for collaborative learning in tertiary institutions in nigeria: perception of tvet lecturers

The popularity of using social networking sites (SNSs) as an educational tool is increasing every day. Many educators are now trying to integrate these online teaching platforms that were provided by commercial services such as Google, LinkedIn and Facebook into learning environment. Despite the importance of SNSs, a lot of constraints seem to hinder its effective use for collaborative learning in Nigeria by TVET lecturers. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to ascertain the perception of TVET lecturers on the constraints and possible strategies to effective use of SNSs for collaborative learning in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive design. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 128 TVET lecturers purposively drawn from the four tertiary institutions in Enugu State that offers vocational and technical education programme. Mean, standard deviation, exploratory factor analysis and t-test statistics were used in realizing the objectives. The finding of the study showed among others that, 13 SNSs were commonly used by TVET lecturers, 13 major constraints hinder effective use of SNSs for collaborative learning by TVET lecturers, while 10 strategies were proffered to promote the effective use of SNSs for collaborative learning. This paper therefore calls for continuous professional development (CPD) of TVET lecturers particularly to enable them acquire the needed soft skills required for effective utilization of SNSs in their teaching practices.

NOVICE TEACHERS USE OF ICT FOR TEACHING PURPOSES AT SECONDARY SCHOOL LEVEL

Social, economic and technological development of a nation depends a lot on the use of ICT. The key objective is to analyze novice teachers' use of ICT for teaching purposes. Teachers realized that ICT tools are very helpful and supporting to help students in sharing and creating information through technological devices over computer systems and webs. Novice secondary school teachers who taught to 9th and 10th classes were the population of the current study. Researchers selected 200 novice secondary school teachers as sample. Simple random sampling technique was used for the selection of sample. Researchers used questionnaire as data collection tool. The questionnaire was administered to the sample of the study. The most suitable statistical techniques of frequency, percentage, mean score and standard deviation. In the light of findings this research study shows that the use of ICT gadgets and other resources help for effective teaching at secondary school level. The institution has internet facility to support teaching. The study concluded that the use of ICT is helpful in getting awareness about teaching practices and access to related content. In current decade, ICT is rapidly revolutionizing the ICT use in collaborative learning within the premises of educational institutions and at home. It is also concluded that novice secondary school teachers are making the use of educational repositories for academic purposes.

A Plethora of Fungi: Teaching a Middle School Unit on Fungi

While fungi play a vital role in Earth's ecosystems, they are not highlighted in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This article contains a unit plan to introduce students to the fungal kingdom, characteristics of fungi, and their role as decomposers. The unit plan is written in a 5E model format and can be adjusted for any type of lesson planning format. Students explore fungi through hands-on activities, a jigsaw activity that makes use of collaborative learning, and analysis of case studies. Teachers can use this unit without a strong background in mycology, the study of fungi, or costly materials. A summative assessment is included at the end of the unit plan.

Validation of TAM Model on Social Media Use for Collaborative Learning to Enhance Collaborative Authoring

Increased impact of technology leads numerous studies to conduct research on the effect of social media on performance. Very limited of such studies have tried to observe and record the use of social media for collaborative learning as a way to improve collaborative authoring. This paper tries to the validation of the technology acceptance model (TAM) on social media use for collaborative learning to enhance collaborative authoring among research students. To achieve the study objective, this paper employed a questionnaire as the main data collection method and distributed it to 1118 responses of various researchers from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) all of whom use social media. The findings were obtained via a quantitative research method, structural equation modeling (SEM-AMOS). The findings from our empirical study indicate that all the hypotheses were supported; we demonstrate that the use of social media positively and significantly related to collaborative authoring through collaborative learning between researchers in higher education. Therefore, the proposed model will help academic and decision-makers formulate the strategies that can encourage students and researchers to use social media to improving collaborative authoring through collaborative learning.

Freshmen and Third Grade Students Perceptions on Their Soft Skills Acquirement in The Use of Collaborative Learning in English Classroom

It is said that soft skills are needed to have a successful life and career for students and can be trained in classroom by conducting collaborative learning. Then, polytechnic students have collaboration learning in their English classroom activity which is useful for their soft skills achivements. However, the students which have different level can have different perceptions on it. This research tries to compare students’ perceptions on their soft skills acquirement in the use of collaborative learning in English classroom in a state polytechnic. The first group is the freshmen, meanwhile the second group is the third grade students of Diploma 3. The study employs a qualitative research design, which is a case study. The data are gained from questionnaire, then observation and interviews are used to triangulate the data. The findings show that the freshmen perceive that they acquire soft skills in 90.9%, meanwhile the third graders are in 84.9%. This concludes that freshmen soft skills acquirement is higher than the third graders. It is recommended that collaborative learning method should be continued to develop the students’ soft skills, and the type of collaborative learning should be more appropriate for different grades of students.

Cultural Flows and Pedagogical Dilemmas: Teaching with Collaborative Learning in the Chinese HE EFL Context

AbstractThis study makes a qualitative inquiry into the use of collaborative learning in Chinese higher education (HE) EFL classrooms with its focus on students’ experience. It seeks to reveal the dilemmas encountered by considering the cultural aspect of teaching and learning within the Chinese context. Drawing on data sources from 60 students’ written reflections, 2 groups of post-hoc interviews and the researcher’s field notes, the study reveals that: 1) the use of collaborative learning conflicts with students’ formed learning behaviors and grammar-oriented exams; 2)

Implementing Collaborative Learning in Prelicensure Nursing Curricula: Student Perceptions and Learning Outcomes.

This study evaluated learning outcomes and student perceptions of collaborative learning in an undergraduate nursing program. Participants in this 3-phase action research study included students enrolled in a traditional and an accelerated nursing program. The number of students who passed the unit examination was not significantly different between the 3 phases. Students had positive and negative perceptions about the use of collaborative learning.

협력학습에서 SNS 사용의도와 관련변인간의 예측력 규명

The purposes of this study are to examine the predictability of variables related to SNS intention to use in collaborative learning and provide some new implications. Based on Technology Readiness and Acceptance Model (TRAM), we hypothesized that optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, insecurity as personal disposition variables, subjective norm as a social variable, and perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as cognitive variables would predict SNS intention to use. For this study, 274 `Share Leadership` students in E university completed surveys and it was analyzed by multiple regression analysis. The results of this study showed as follows. First, optimism, innovativeness, discomfort, and subjective norm predicted perceived ease of use. Second, optimism, insecurity, subjective norm and perceived ease of use predicted perceived usefulness. Third, subjective norm, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness predicted SNS intention to use. From this, it is revealed that positive technology readiness predict much more than negative technology readiness do and the role of teacher and peers is very important.

Determinants of Social Networks Usage in Collaborative Learning: Evidence from Egypt

Abstract Building upon studies of social psychology and information system literature, and given the widespread popularity of social networks (SNs), this paper aims at analyzing the determinants of using SNs in collaborative learning among undergraduate and postgraduate students via investigating the roles of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations, attitude and intentions. The importance of this study lies in investigating the effects of using SNs in collaborative learning on learners, whether undergraduate or postgraduate, from many different aspects such as performance, interaction, socialization, collaboration, and decision making. Based on the results of this study, several decisions can be made such as applying blended learning or making better use of SNs in the field of teaching. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used to achieve the research aim. The study is exploratory in nature and data was obtained from 300 Egyptian university students via structured questionnaire. Regression analysis and Mann Whitney U tests were performed to analyze the gathered data. The results support all hypotheses, except for the relationship between intention towards SNs and actual use in collaborative learning among undergraduate students. Further, no significant differences were found between undergraduate and postgraduate students with respect to all the proposed model constructs. The current study adds to the extent of literature in two respective ways. Firstly, testing and validating TAM in a developing culture; and secondly, although TAM has been extensively applied in evaluating the adoption of different technologies, few studies have exploited it on the adoption of SNs.

Virtual CEOs: A blended approach to digital gaming for enhancing higher order thinking and academic achievement among vocational high school students

The requirements of a contemporary workplace include the ability to think critically and creatively in order to solve problems and respond to changes in economic and social conditions. Unfortunately, vocational education often fails to prepare graduates for this environment due to limited resources, low student motivation, or the reliance upon outdated instructional strategies. The use of digital game-based learning (DGBL) for vocational education has been proposed, but has yet to be effectively implemented, particularly in terms of the promotion of higher order thinking skills (HOTS). Data from 68 eleventh grade vocational high school students were evaluated after a quasi-experimental, 27 week intervention. Pretest and posttest results were evaluated by MANCOVA and demonstrated that the experimental group (blended DGBL incorporating integrative HOTS activities) outperformed the comparison group (technology enhanced learning) in terms of creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, and academic achievement, with significant improvements on all four measures. While technology-enhanced learning was effective in promoting academic achievement and creative thinking, the DGBL condition was deemed most effective in providing an authentic context for developing employment-related skills and knowledge. Based on these results, a blended approach for DGBL, which incorporates instructor orchestration and scaffolding, provision of learning aids, and the use of collaborative learning, is recommended, particularly for vocational learners. This paper provides examples of a concrete model of DGBL instruction that was verified empirically as successful in significantly improving all three higher order thinking skills, including creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Pre-service teachers’ and teacher-educators’ experiences and attitudes toward using social networking sites for collaborative learning

Extensive use of social networking sites by students and teachers makes educators and researchers to think whether they can be incorporated in instructional process to facilitate students’ learning. This survey-based study records and examines Pakistani pre-service teachers’ and teacher-educators’ current uses of Facebook, and their attitudes toward using Facebook for collaborative learning, and to see if there is a significant relationship between participants’ intensity of Facebook use and their attitude toward instructional use of Facebook. Results of the study indicated that pre-service teachers’ and teacher-educators’ motives for their current Facebook use are mainly limited for social purposes. Pre-service teachers’ use of Facebook is more intensified than the use of Facebook by teacher-educators. Further, pre-service teachers showed more positive attitudes toward using Facebook for collaborative learning than the attitudes of their faculty. Findings also indicated a positive relationship between participants’ Facebook intensity and their attitudes toward its use for collaborative learning.

Exploring AEC education through collaborative learning

Purpose – There is concern that traditional teaching methods (including lectures and tutorials) do not prepare graduates with the generic employability skills required by the construction industry. This has motivated architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) academics to consider the use of student-centred approaches like collaborative learning. However, the effectiveness of collaborative learning approaches has not been widely examined in AEC education. The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical results on the benefits and barriers of collaborative learning from AEC students’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach – From a questionnaire survey conducted with Associate Degree students who studied in four AEC programmes at a university in Hong Kong, 621 valid responses were received. Descriptive statistics were used to test these data for any significant agreement or disagreement between respondents. Findings – All AEC students agreed that collaborative learning benefited them in building their academic knowledge and generic skills. However, the degree of agreement about their generic skills development differed between programmes. The findings of this study highlight the effectiveness of collaborative learning as a means of developing students’ employability skills. Research limitations/implications – First, the analysis of the benefits of collaborative learning is based on students’ perceptions rather than objective measures of learning gains. Although research suggests that self-reported measures of learning are valid indicators of educational and skill gains, the possibility of individual's bias or peer influence in the responses cannot be discounted. Second, the study does not take into account the teachers’ instructional skills that may affect the effectiveness of collaborative learning. To minimize the impact of different tutors on students’ learning experiences, standardized delivery mode and course materials were adopted in the surveyed courses. Practical implications – From the findings presented, collaborative learning is a viable tool which assists in improving both the technical and generic employability skills of students. To allow students to appreciate collaboration in a practical context, multi-disciplinary collaborative assignments can be integrated in AEC curricula. Through collaboration with other disciplines, students can understand the ways of working with other professionals. At the same time, AEC educators can apply collaborative learning to strengthen specific collaborative skills. To maximize the benefits of collaborative learning, teachers should arrange regular meetings and counseling sessions with students to ensure participation from each individual. Social implications – The findings contribute practical insights about collaborative learning and, in particular, the learning attitudes and perceptions of Chinese students and engineering students. Whilst the findings are different to some studies which describe Chinese students as being influenced by the Confucian Heritage culture, and preferring competitive rather than collaborative learning, more detailed studies about collaborative learning dynamics among students from different ethnic backgrounds should improve the design of collaborative learning environments for the students. Originality/value – The findings provide confidence to AEC academics to incorporate collaborative learning activities in their courses. Mapping students’ generic skills development between programme of study provides indicators that highlight the use of collaborative learning for different generic skills development in different AEC programmes. The results of this study provide useful information for AEC teachers, assisting them to design multi-disciplinary collaborative learning curricula.

Use and evaluation of a technology-rich experimental collaborative classroom

In order to pilot a shift towards greater use of collaborative learning in our higher education programs, the University of Hong Kong has invested in the development of a prototype technology-enhanced collaborative learning space. The space was created by retrofitting a vacant studio, turning it into an innovative classroom space in which collaborative learning is promoted and facilitated both through the provision of technology and by the physical layout of the room. We have used the space to pioneer collaborative learning both by holding professional development workshops for faculty in the room and also by helping academic staff to run experimental courses in the learning space. The opportunity to offer professional development and support for academic staff in this environment is particularly valuable as it ensures they do not simply deliver traditional didactic lectures in a space designed to promote interactive student learning and engagement. By using the space as a ‘student’ they are able to consider how they may use collaborative learning environments with their students. This paper describes use of the room for professional development of academic staff and also provides two examples of the use and evaluation of the room by faculty who used the room to teach experimental classes.

Online Learner Satisfaction and Collaborative Learning

Despite the considerable potential for e-learning to improve learning outcomes, particularly for female students and students who need to rely on distance learning, feedback from current users of e-learning systems in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) suggests a relatively low level of satisfaction. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach in investigating the underlying reasons for this situation. Results indicate that students are not unhappy with the information technology infrastructure or with other technical aspects. However, many students report a low level of interaction between them and their fellow students. When interactions do occur, students indicate overwhelmingly that they find such interactions useful. Together, these findings suggest that greater student interaction, which could be fostered through the use of collaborative learning, is likely to be both popular with students and beneficial to their learning outcomes.

Using Jigsaw Technique as an Effective Way of Promoting Co-Operative Learning Among Primary Six Pupils in Fijai

The focus of the study was to improve upon cooperative learning with the use of Jigsaw technique in Basic six of Holy Child Practice Primary School. Action research design was used in addition to a Case study design to conduct the study. The research instruments were observation and questionnaire. The researcher employed the Jigsaw technique as the intervention. The sample size used was 40, made up of 30 pupils and 10 teachers from the same institution. Responses gathered from both the observation and the administration of the instruments indicate that some of the causes of pupils poor performance in school were poor teaching methods during lessons and the inability of teachers to vary teaching techniques. It was observed during the research period that pupils had problems in actively participating in lessons. More so pupils did not know how to learn in groups. It also came to light that lack of understanding of collaborative and cooperative learning was the pupils’ deficiency. The study therefore empowered both teachers and pupils to resort to the use of collaborative learning due to its immense benefits.

Maritime Students’ Online Collaborative Learning in Virtual Teams: A Research Teaching Experience

Virtual teams are fast becoming a business-critical imperative for many organizations because of the popularity of the Internet, intranet, instant messaging, online discussion boards, video, audio conferencing, and other tools that have made it easier to communicate and coordinate people at a distance (Herman, 2001; Lewis, Shea, & Daley, 2005; Martins, Gilson, & Maynard, 2004; Townsend, DeMarie, & Hendrickson, 1996). Many educational institutions are similarly experiencing an increased use of information technology to communicate within and outside the classroom (Allen & Seaman, 2005; Le Cornu, Cameron, Catling, Cosgrove, & Langford, 2006). Therefore, developing learners’ ability to work effectively in a virtual team setting may be considered to be an important pedagogical goal for many higher education institutions. As online instruction becomes increasingly popular, instructors and administrators are working hard to improve maritime students’ online learning experience in the teaching of research. The use of collaborative learning through virtual teams presents a set of observations on how physical, temporal, and social separation of learners affects the learners’ learning processes in research. This paper is a case study reporting a research project investigating the experience of using virtual teams in the teaching of research. Online challenges were identified and potential solutions to such challenges were advanced. Keywords: Virtual teams, online group interactions, online collaboration, online research team

Effects of metaphor and analogy use in collaborative learning of history texts

Effects of metaphor and analogy use in collaborative learning of history texts

Getting to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Professional Development in University Faculty

Getting to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Professional Development in University Faculty

The Effect of Group Composition on Individual Student Performance in an Introductory Economics Course

What’s the best way to allocate students to teams (groups) in those economics courses that rely on small group work to enhance individual student learning? Those who advocate the use of collaborative learning in the college classroom generally suggest combining stronger students with weaker students in three or four member student teams. Many advocates also suggest that there are advantages in forming heterogeneous teams in terms of class year (or age), gender, and ethnicity, as all this helps to provide teams with members who complement each other in skills. Possible drawbacks of such heterogeneity have also been noted. However, little or no empirical work - especially related to the individual performance of students in economics courses - has been done on how best to select the most effective student teams (groups) to enhance individual student learning (as opposed to improving the performance of the group as a whole). This paper hopes to begin to fill this gap. It combines individual observations on 260 students over a three year period in my eight classes of Principles of Economics I at Occidental College, a course that relied quite heavily on collaborative learning in teams of three or four students each. Information from the students’ admissions files (SATS, AP credit, etc.), on the composition of the students’ randomly assigned semi-permanent team, and on their performance on the (identical) final exam, among other information, was used to test the validity of the above advice. Perhaps surprisingly, virtually no empirical support was found, and in some cases the empirical results were directly counter to the above advice. There were other surprising results as well, among them those relating to intercollegiate student athletes (NCAA Division III), and to those students who were the only nonwhite (or female) students on an otherwise all-white (or all-male) team.

Collaborative learning in the dance technique class

This research was designed to enhance dance technique learning by promoting critical thinking amongst students studying on a degree programme at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. Students were taught Cunningham‐based dance technique using pair work together with the traditional demonstration/copying method. To evaluate the study, observations were recorded regularly in class during the 10‐week research period and nine students were interviewed. The evaluation also included a peer observation by an experienced colleague and a video recording of each year group. It was found that pair work created a positive learning environment and instructions that promoted critical thinking and encouraged students to take more responsibility for their learning. It was noted that the process of comparing their knowledge of the movement combination with their peer's version enabled the students to learn the movement material more quickly and more accurately than when working individually. Pair work also seemed to enhance the students' movement quality and performance. It is, however, noted that the use of collaborative learning in the dance technique class requires further research and development.