| Two challenges facing higher education today are especially significant in the global economy and virtual communications world. First, the continual advancement and development of technical knowledge has created a constant need for flexible, "just-in-time training" and re-training of future and current workers. Second, changes in the organizational business infrastructure have put an increased emphasis on teamwork in the workplace. With the increased capability of digital communications in all formats, a strong shift toward people who can work collaboratively has occurred in the workforce. As the world moves increasingly into the information age, and away from the industrial age, and the world economy becomes progressively more global, collaboration has become a necessity. Data published by the National Center for Education Statistics indicated that in 2000--2001, 90% of public two-year and 89% of public four-year educational institutions offered distance learning courses with total enrollments of 3,077,000. Two-year institutions have led the way in offering online courses, and therefore it is important that aspects of collaborative learning in online courses be studied at community colleges.; This research study examined the effect of online collaborative learning on academic achievement, persistence, and perceptions of students toward the collaborative, instructional design and teaming process in courses at a community college. Participants in this study were a group (N = 972) of community college students, enrolled in online classes at a large multi-campus college district during fall semester, 2004. The students were divided in two subgroups-those experiencing collaborative learning (n = 413) and those not experiencing collaborative learning (n = 559). Final grades, persistence, and perceptions of each of the groups were compared using t-tests. The results indicated a statistically significant positive effect on academic achievement and students' perceptions regarding the instructional design process and the learning team process. No statistical difference was found between the collaborative and non-collaborative online groups in persistence or in their perception of the collaborative process.; The research was designed to add to the knowledge base of factors that create valid online higher education classes, in line with the needs of today's world. |
