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This study examined the effects of the Shared Space (SS) on students ’ behaviors in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment. The SS visualizes discussion and agreement about a topic during online discussions. It was hypothesized the SS would increase the media richness of the CSCL environment, would stimulate critical and exploratory group norms, would lead to more positive perceptions of online collaboration, and would have an impact on students ’ collaborative activities. 59 students working in 20 groups had access to the SS visualization, while 58 students working in 20 groups did not. The results show that students with access to the SS visualization, a) have a more critical group norm perception, b) perceive more positive group behavior, and c) perceive their group’s task strategies to be more effective. Students with access to the SS visualization only perceive marginally higher media richness. The SS visualization only had a small impact on student’s collaborative activities