Effective technology to support cooperative learning in a virtual learning environment

BACKGROUND The ability to work collaboratively is a sought after graduate attribute and is also of considerable value to the depth of learning experience itself. However, the skills to be an effective collaborator take practise and experience in cooperative task situations under effective guidance. The online environment can be a difficult environment in which to learn such teamwork skills, particularly where inappropriate technology prevents meaningful interactions and contributions. This paper is presented as a basis and methodology for planned future hardware trials which seek to improve student outcomes from group work in online settings. PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to investigate existing limitations to the delivery of cooperative learning tasks in order to identify appropriate technology and support strategies to facilitate its effective implementation in the online environment. DESIGN/METHOD A literature review was undertaken to establish known difficulties of existing cooperative learning implementation in traditional and online educational settings. The study has also included a review of various technologies used to facilitate group and team work in the learning and corporate environments. The findings of this study have been used to propose future trials which modify the way cooperative learning is offered in a number of online tutorials at Deakin University. RESULTS The literature review has revealed that appropriate technologies exist to facilitate some of the small group cooperative learning tasks that we wish to undertake in our online engineering classes. We suspect that with a few critical changes, such as accessibility to the correct hardware, we will enable significant improvement in the learning outcomes of our online students. To this end, it is expected that a future trial of USB headset and tablet technology will reveal that significant improvements can be made to the cooperative engagement of students in small group work. We hope to facilitate the development of cooperative learning skills in order to enable students to extend into higher order thinking and more complex collaborative tasks. CONCLUSIONS Cooperative learning is an important formative step in the attainment of strong teamwork skills. We expect more meaningful interactions amongst students in classes and in small group work in these virtual learning environments, facilitated by the proposed access improvements to audio and tablet technology. We expect that this will thereby enhance the learning experience and allow students to develop valuable teamwork skills