The importance of a collaboratory: Using collaboration software to engage and assess students in computer-screen-based tutorials

Researchers have identified active collaborative learning and membership in learning communities as factors that facilitate the engagement of learners. In the reported student engagement study, a commercially available software utility was used to establish such an environment in a computer laboratory. This chapter addresses the following issues: will collaborative learning result in more student engagement and what type of software will support such activity? The collected data includes anonymous survey responses, mean marks for assessable components, and tutorial attendance figures for 2011 (pre-intervention) and 2012 (post-intervention) and 2013 (modified content with post-intervention style delivery). Freeform responses in the anonymous student survey were positive towards the experience. In 2012 with respect to those of 2011, mean assignment and tutorial participation marks for the students improved, while those for other assessable components appeared to have worsened. Student engagement, as reflected in tutorial attendance and assignment marks, were better in 2012. In 2013, the study was repeated with the focus of the tutorials changed to group problem solving with the tutorial participation reflecting student contributions during such sessions. The mean marks for the exam, the laboratory participation and for the course improved over those for 2012 and 2011, respectively. The other means slightly improved over those for 2011 but were slightly worse for those for 2012