Most evidence-based practices for collaborative learning assume either face-to-face interactions or asynchronous online activities. This research aims to develop robust tools and pedagogies for online synchronous computer-supported collaborative learning.
In Fall 2020, we added collaborative features to the open-source online assessment system PrairieLearn, enabling students to share the same assessment content and grades. In our initial study, we examined the trade-offs between asynchronous (student-scheduled) and synchronous (instructor-scheduled) collaborative learning. This quasi-experimental study, conducted in two courses — Computer Architecture and Numerical Methods — compared asynchronous collaborative learning without structured roles to synchronous collaborative learning with structured roles. Using a data-analytics approach, we assessed how these methods influenced the student learning experience during formative collaborative assessments. Teams in the synchronous setting achieved higher scores (5-10% better on average), completed assessments more efficiently (11-16 minutes faster on average), and demonstrated greater equality in the number of submissions each team member contributed (e.g., a 13% increase in the mean equality score across groups).
In Spring 2024, we introduced a tool designed to enforce roles in collaborative learning. Initial findings indicate that students generally adhered to their assigned roles, resulting in a more equitable distribution of responsibilities within groups. However, preliminary analysis showed no significant impact of role enforcement on students’ academic performance or sense of belonging.
We are now expanding this investigation by collecting data from a classroom where some groups use the role enforcement tool while others do not. This comparative approach aims to provide deeper insights into the tool’s impact on collaborative learning outcomes.
Internal Grant: “FACA project: Facilitating Adoption of Collaborative Activities using computer-based tools”, Strategic Instructional Innovations Program (SIIP) at UIUC. Research team: Mariana Silva, Abdu Alawini and Geoffrey Herman, 2020-2023.
External Grant: “Enhancing Equity and Access Via Digitally-mediated Collaborative Learning Experiences”, National Science Foundation (NSF) Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE), Research team: Mariana Silva, Geoffrey Herman and Matthew West, 2021-2025.
Herman G., Jiang Y., Jiang Y., Poulsen S., West M., Silva M., “An Analytic Comparison of Student-Scheduled and Instructor-Scheduled Collaborative Learning in Online Contexts”, Proceedings of the 2022 American Society for Engineering Education Conference (ASEE 2022), 2022.
Fong M., Butler L., Alawini A., Herman G., Silva M., “Developing tools, pedagogies, and policies for computer-based collaborative learning activities”, Proceedings of the 2023 American Society for Engineering Education Conference (ASEE 2023), 2023.
Fong M., Huang S., Alawini A., Silva M., Herman G., “Exploring computing students’ sense of belonging before and after a collaborative learning course”, Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE 2024), 2024.
Zhao C., Chen Y., Feng K., Herman G., Silva M., “Structured Roles, Greater Outcomes: Evaluating the Impact of Role Enforcement on Collaborative Learning Activities”, abstract accepted at ASEE 2025.