scholarly journals The effectiveness of cooperative learning in an online learning environment through a comparison of group and individual marks

2022 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marelize Malan
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Cooperative Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Group Work ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Individual Assignment ◽  
Group Assignment ◽  
Online Setting ◽  
The Individual

Cooperative learning is a learning approach where students are placed into groups to work towards a common goal. Prominent learning theories state that students learn best when they construct their own knowledge in an active learning environment where they can socially interact and collaborate to reach a desired outcome.  Cooperative learning provides such a learning environment and has the benefit of creating an active learning community where students can develop transferable skills. Online learning has grown steadily over the past few years, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic where tertiary institutions’ only option was to continue with their academic programmes remotely through online learning platforms. With online learning becoming a prominent feature, calls are made to educators to examine teamwork and cooperation and how this can be facilitated in an online setting. In the online learning environment it is important to promote collaborative engagement to counteract feelings of isolation and encourage deep learning to occur. In the second accounting module of a fully online degree, students are exposed to a case study, with a group assignment as well as an individual assignment component. The aim of this study is to determine whether group work can be effective by comparing group marks to individual marks. The study further elicits the perceptions of the online students to determine their views regarding group work, the process that they followed to collaborate, as well as their perceptions regarding skills developed using the case study approach. A mixed-methods approach was followed, using the group and individual marks and combining those with the survey analysis and qualitative data analysis from a questionnaire. It was found that the average mark for the group assignment is higher than for the individual assignment and that the individual assignment shows a greater spread of marks. For male students who prefer to work within a group, their group mark is higher than their individual mark, showing that they did receive the benefit from working within a group. Students agreed that group work is a valuable skill that will be needed in their future careers and that the group work enabled them to learn from their group members. Working in a group requires a lot of time and effort, but students will elicit the strategies required to gain the necessary knowledge and solve the problem posed to them. Students mentioned several other skills that they perceived were developed through their exposure to the group work; skills such as communicating well, listening with intent, negotiating a point of view, researching alternatives and solving a problem were all enhanced through their participation in their groups. The results suggest that group work can be effectively achieved and managed in an online setting, albeit with special care around the logistical and technological challenges that can be experienced. Cooperative learning in the form of group work is not always welcomed by all students, but it will enable them to navigate their future careers where teamwork will be a prominent feature.

Case Study of the CUForum @ CUHK

2010 ◽  
pp. 238-258
Author(s):  
Peter Jakubowicz
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Communication Course ◽  
Non Linear ◽  
Group Interviews

In contrast to the formal school setting where learning is often linear, structured and controlled (be it online or face-to-face), for the ‘net generation,’ (Google, MySpace, MSN, YouTube and Yahoo) learning is often incidental and a sense of ‘fun’ is frequently of great importance. Such students’ learning is often non-linear, unstructured and explained well by the tenets of Anderson’s theory of online learning. This research discusses the benefits of fostering non-linearity in an online learning environment. A case study of an online business communication course at a university in Hong Kong is used to illustrate the importance of non-linear online learning by demonstrating how participants in this course adopted learning approaches that are consistent with, and a reflection of, the theory of online learning. Qualitative data from complete sets of online communication (including focus group interviews) collected over a one-semester, tertiary level course conducted at a university in Hong Kong are analyzed. The findings show that Chinese-speaking learners’ online interactions, categorized into three broad areas (cognitive, affective and social), demonstrate that interactivity is a key feature of an online learning environment. Its nature is exposed and discussed, not least the finding that for the participants in this study, learning was incidental and a sense of ‘fun’ was important. The study suggests ways in which online theory can contribute to, as well as help in, understanding this phenomenon and makes recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals A case study of an adult learner with ASD and ADHD in an undergraduate online learning environment

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A Meyers ◽  
Richard G Bagnall
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Adult Learner ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

<p>The contemporary need for older workers to participate in education and training programs to increase their employability has exposed many of them to learning opportunities involving online learning in higher education. This paper reports research into the issues and experiences of an adult learner with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) engaging in undergraduate online learning. The issues and experiences were identified through the use of inductive, in-depth interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), as part of a larger study. The profile of the target student was very different from the other nine participants in the study, and was interpreted as principally related to disorientation within his online learning environment. Three types of disorientation were identified – navigational, contextual, and procedural – each of which presented strategies for its mitigation. The research revealed a significant disjunction between the characteristics of the learner’s online learning environment and his learning needs and preferences, which has implications for the design and development of inclusive online learning environments in higher education.</p>

Brain Based Learning Environments in an Online Setting

2011 ◽  
pp. 90-98
Author(s):  
Silvia Braidic
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Online Programs ◽  
Online Setting ◽  
Brain Based Learning ◽  
The University

This chapter introduces the reader on how to foster successful learning communities to meet the diverse needs of university students by creating a brain based online learning environment. Students come in all shapes and sizes. At the university level, students enrolled in online programs, have made a choice to do so. Today, online education is a unique and important venue for many students wishing to continue (or start) their education. It is part of a new culture with many distinct characteristics (Farrell, 2001). For instructors, online instruction creates its own set of challenges in terms of the course design and implementation. The author hopes that developing an understanding of how to create a brain based online learning environment will inform the reader of ways to foster successful learning communities to most effectively meet the diverse needs of the students it serves.

Measurement in K–12 Online Learning Environments

2021 ◽  
pp. 624-638
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Student Behaviors ◽  
Latent Constructs ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
K 12

The measurement of online latent constructs, such as student engagement, have mimicked the measurement of these constructs in traditional, brick-and-mortar learning environments. For brick-and-mortar K-12 schools and online K-12 schools there are challenges that need to be addressed to establish a measure with support for validity. Measurement in an online learning environment has different accessibility and data collection requirements. The online learning environment lends itself well to the use of student behaviors to measure latent constructs, including student engagement. The behaviors of students in an online learning environment are regularly documented. This chapter will delve into the ways latent constructs, using student engagement as an example/case study, are currently being measured in the K-12 online learning environment and alternatives to these measures mimicking traditional brick-and-mortar measures.

scholarly journals A Case Study of American and Chinese College Students’ Motivation Differences in Online Learning Environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunjuan Zhao ◽  
Zongxiang Mei
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Motivation ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
West Virginia University ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Chinese College Students ◽  
Face To Face

<p>Motivating students has been a key challenge facing instructors in non-face-to-face instructional contexts. Existing researches into motivation in online learning environment have revealed that there are learning motivation differences among students from different cultural backgrounds. The purpose of this study is to identify whether American and Chinese online learners’ motivation differ in online learning environment and what characteristics of learners could exert influence on their motivation. This study, based on a survey of 162 students from West Virginia University and 210 students from Fudan University, China, revealed that there was a significant learning motivation difference between American and Chinese online learners. And it was also found that online learners’ learning motivation were affected by such learners’ characteristics as gender, employment status and marital status.</p>

scholarly journals Students Perception Towards Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 187-197
Author(s):  
Kavya N ◽  
Puneeth B. M.
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Online Classes

The aim of this study is to find out the students attitude towards online learning in the pandemic of COVID-19. In this study, we focus on understanding Agricultural Student’s perception and preference towards the online learning through an online survey of 111 students. The study also explored the student’s preferences for various attributes of online classes, which will be helpful to design effective online learning environment. Majority of the students preferred to use smart phone for online learning. Most 76 (68.5 %) of students are Highly Satisfied with Online Learning. Majority 93(83.8%) of the students are learning classes through Zoom Meeting. Most 69(62.2%) of the respondents stated Recorded classes that is uploaded at University website/YouTube/any other application was the most preferred class format.

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