A Mixed Methods Study Of The Implementation Of Collaborative Technology Tools For Enhancing Collaboration And Student Engagement In Online Learning: Faculty Experiences And Student Perspectives

The appropriate implementation of collaborative technology tools in online courses leads to a culture of social learning where technology empowers students to take central roles in their learning. Yet, critical questions still exist about how faculty design, develop, implement collaborative eLearning activities using technology tools that support collaboration and student engagement in online courses, and what perspectives students have toward their experiences while participating in these activities. The purpose of the study is to explore the experiences of faculty members implementing collaborative technology tools in online courses to support collaboration and student engagement, in addition, to obtain the perspectives of students toward their experiences while participating in these activities. The study attempts to better understand the potential and use of technology for enhancing collaboration and student engagement in online settings and the factors that influence the selection of collaborative technology tools for incorporating collaborative eLearning activities in online courses. An explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was utilized to collect data from a total of 210 faculty and student participants who met the participation criteria and volunteered to participate in the study at a large Midwestern state university. Out of the 210 participants, 29 faculty members and 181 students were surveyed, and after a review of the results, follow-up interviews were conducted with four faculty members and two students. The findings of this study confirmed that collaborative technology tools have the potential to create a virtual collaborative environment that enables instructors to establish a learning community within online courses where students can synchronously or asynchronously work together toward a common task, in which each student adds to an emerging pool of knowledge of the group. This study provides evidence that the use of collaborative technology tools positively affects students’ experiences with collaborative eLearning activities in online learning. The instructor\u27s ability to successfully select and implement collaborative technology tools that effectively support collaborative eLearning and student engagement in online courses is a primary concern. This concern raises the demand for online instructors who are well-prepared and fully-supported to integrate collaborative technology tools into online settings and design eLearning activities that engage students and foster interaction and collaboration. Possible implications of the study and practical recommendations drawn from the findings of the study for professional and meaningful practice are discussed

Adopting and Implementing an E-Learning System for Teaching and Learning in Saudi Public K-12 Schools: The Benefits, Challenges, and Concerns

Classera is an e-learning system that has been adopted for use in a variety of learning environments in K-12 schools in Saudi Arabia. The system can be integrated in online, blended, or traditional settings with the aim of improving teaching and learning and helping students connect with lesson content, teachers, and peers, and teachers connect with parents. The purpose of the current study is to examine the benefits, challenges and concerns surrounding the adoption and implementation of this system. An online survey was used to gather data from a sample of 70 teachers from the 12 schools in which Classera was originally piloted. The results of the study reveal high levels of teacher satisfaction with the use of Classera with benefits including easy delivering of content, facilitating student learning, and encouraging peer collaboration and teacher-parent communication. However, challenges and concerns surrounding issues such as teacher professional development, time for training, and Internet access still persist and need to be taken into consideration to ensure the successful adoption and implementation of Classera in all K-12 schools across Saudi Arabia

The Effectiveness of Online Professional Development in Promoting Technology Integration in Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study was to assess teachers\u27 perspectives about the effectiveness of online professional development in promoting technology integration in Saudi Arabia and to identify the perceived factors that contribute to the success of online professional development in Saudi Arabia. The study explored the possible differences in perceived effectiveness of online professional development based on participant\u27s demographic information, technology skills, attending online professional development, number of hours attended, and enrollment in Teaching with Technology (TWT) initiative. Additionally, this study investigated the affordances for autonomous learning in a fully online learning environment for effective online professional development. The ANOVA results indicated significant mean differences in teachers\u27 responses across gender (F (1, 143) = 2.27, p \u3c 0.05) and also across enrollment in TWT initiative (F (2,143) =10.01, p \u3c 0.05). Gender and TWT accounted for 5.5% and 6.5% of variance in Teacher Overall Perspectives about the effectiveness of online professional development respectively. The study major findings and conclusions of the study are also discussed in view of their implications for future research, measurement theory, research design and practice in the manuscript