Assessing Online Collaboration Among Language Teachers: A Cross-institutional Case Study

Authors

Nike Arnold, Portland State UniversityFollow
Lara Ducate, University of South Carolina - Columbia
Lara Lomicka, University of South Carolina - Columbia
Gillian Lord, University of Florida

Published In

Journal of Interactive Online Learning

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 2009

Subjects

Group work in education -- Cross-cultural studies, Collaborative learning, Content analysis, Wikis (Computer science)

Abstract

This paper focuses on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) among foreign language (FL) graduate students from three universities, who worked together to create a wiki. In order to investigate the nature of CSCL among participants, this qualitative case study used the Curtis and Lawson framework (2001) to conduct a content analysis of learners’ collaborative behaviors. Transcript and survey analyses indicate that the success of collaborative interaction depends largely on the group members themselves. Differing levels of participation indicate that not everyone was equally involved with the wiki project, which ultimately affected the level of collaboration, the group dynamics, and the final product. In addition, the leader in each group influenced the degree of collaboration taking place in her group.

Description

Originally appeared in the Journal of Interactive Online Learning, vol. 8, no. 2. ISSN: 1541-4914. Available at http://www.ncolr.org/jiol/

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/14562

Citation Details

Arnold, Nike, Lara Ducate, Lara Lomicka, and Gillian Lord. "Assessing online collaboration among language teachers: A cross-institutional case study." 8, no. 2 (2009): 121-139.