You are here:

Strengthening Deeper Learning Through Virtual Teams in E-learning: A Synthesis of Determinants and Best Practices
ARTICLE

, , , , Dalhousie University

JDE Volume 31, Number 2, ISSN 0830-0445 Publisher: Athabasca University Press

Full Text

Abstract

Globally, e-learning is gaining popularity as its potential contributions to economic and social development are recognised. However, its full potential has not been realised, as most e-learning practices merely replicate traditional existing teaching methods and have not fully exploited the interactive and social components of peer learning. Recently, there has been an increased focus on deeper learning in higher educational settings, in particular, a focus on the skills and knowledge that reinforce each other and together promote deeper learning (Chow, 2010). In other words research shows that to be successful all students must have access to educational opportunities that foster deeper learning. Virtual teams (VT) are said to foster "deeper" learning, but have not been empirically studied in the academic sphere, and little is known about their effectiveness as a learning mechanism in e-learning. In this paper the findings of a systemic review and interpretive synthesis of the body of literature on e-learning and VT are presented. The objective of the study was to identify the core skills and knowledge from research that reinforce each other and together promote deeper learning. The results from this study will strengthen e-learning program planning and delivery within higher education centres that are already engaged in e-learning, as well as convey important best practices for learning centres at the beginning stages of e-learning development. Presented is an e-learning framework, which may serve as the foundation of future empirical studies in e-learning.RsumRenforcer l'apprentissage plus approfondi en passant par des quipes virtuelles dans l'apprentissage en ligne: Une synthse des dterminants et des meilleures pratiques l'chelle mondiale, l'apprentissage en ligne gagne en popularit puisque ses contributions ventuelles au dveloppement conomique et social sont reconnues. Cependant, son plein potentiel n'a pas t ralis, car la plupart des pratiques d'apprentissage en ligne ne font que simplement reproduire les mthodes d'enseignement traditionnelles existantes et n\u2019ont pas pleinement exploit les composantes interactives et sociales de l'apprentissage par les pairs. Rcemment, il y a eu une focalisation accrue sur l\u2019apprentissage plus approfondi dans des milieux d'enseignement suprieur, en particulier, l'accent sur les comptences et les connaissances qui se renforcent mutuellement et, ensemble, favorisent un apprentissage plus approfondi (Chow, 2010). Autrement dit, la recherche montre que pour russir, tous les tudiants doivent avoir accs des possibilits ducatives qui favorisent un apprentissage plus approfondi. Les quipes virtuelles (EV) sont dites de favoriser l'apprentissage plus approfondi, mais elles n'ont pas t empiriquement tudies dans la sphre acadmique, et on en sait peu sur leur efficacit en tant que mcanisme d'apprentissage en apprentissage en ligne. Dans cet article, les rsultats d'une revue systmatique et d\u2019une synthse interprtative de la littrature sur l'apprentissage en ligne et les quipes virtuelles sont prsents. L'objectif de l'tude tait d'identifier les comptences de base et les connaissances issues de la recherche qui se renforcent mutuellement et, ensemble, favorisent un apprentissage plus approfondi. Les rsultats de cette tude permettront de renforcer la planification de programme et la livraison d\u2019apprentissage en ligne dans les centres d'enseignement suprieur qui sont dj impliqus dans l'apprentissage en ligne, ainsi que de transmettre d'importantes meilleures pratiques pour les centres d'apprentissage qui en sont aux premiers stades du dveloppement de l'apprentissage en ligne. On prsente un cadre de rfrence d'apprentissage en ligne, qui peut servir de base de futures tudes empiriques en apprentissage en ligne.

Citation

Makani, J., Durier-Copp, M., Kiceniuk, D. & Blandford, A. (2016). Strengthening Deeper Learning Through Virtual Teams in E-learning: A Synthesis of Determinants and Best Practices. The Journal of Distance Education / Revue de l'ducation Distance, 31(2),. Athabasca University Press. Retrieved August 9, 2024 from .

Keywords

References

View References & Citations Map
  1. Ale, E. N., Ahmed, S., & Taha, Z. (2009). Virtual teams: A literature review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 3(3), 2653-2669.
  2. Berry, G. R. (2011). Enhancing effectiveness on virtual teams. Journal of Business Communication, 48(2), 186-206. .
  3. Bolliger, D. U., Supanakorn, S., & Boggs, C. (2010). Impact of podcasting on student motivation in the online learning environment. Computers & Education, 55(2), 714-722.
  4. Brown, A. R., & Voltz, B. D. (2005). Elements of effective e-learning design. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 6(1), 1-10
  5. Canadian Council on Learning. (2009). State of e-learning in Canada. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Learning. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/E-learning/E-Learning_Report_FINALE.PDF
  6. Carter, L., & Salyers, V. (2015). A Model for Meaningful E-learning at Canadian Universities. In J. Keengwe (Ed.), Handbook of research on educational technology integration and active learning (pp. 78-113). Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference
  7. Chow, B. (2010). The quest for deeper learning. Education Week, 30(6), 1-3
  8. Contact North. (2012). Online learning in Canada: At a tipping point: A cross-country check-up 2012. Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, 1-30. Retrieved from http://teachonline.ca/sites/default/files/toolstrends/downloads/online_learning_in_canada_at_a_tipping_point_-_a_cross_country_check_up_2012_-
  9. Ditillo, A. (2004). Dealing with uncertainty in knowledge-intensive firms: The role of management control systems as knowledge integration mechanisms. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 29(3-4), 401-421.
  10. Edwards, S., & Bone, J. (2012). Integrating peer assisted learning and eLearning: Using innovative pedagogies to support learning and teaching in higher education settings. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37(5), 1-12.
  11. Erez, M., Lisak, A., Harush, R., Glikson, E., Nouri, R., & Shokef, E. (2013). Going global: Developing management students' cultural intelligence and global identity in culturally diverse virtual teams. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 12(3), 330-355.
  12. Faizuniah, P., & Chan, J. M. (2014). The mediating effect of knowledge sharing on the relationship between trust and virtual team effectiveness. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(1), 92-106.
  13. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine Pub. Co.
  14. Green, D. D., & Roberts, G. E. (2010). Personnel implications of public sector virtual organizations. Public Personnel Management, 39(1), 47-57.
  15. Greenhalgh, T., Robert, G., Macfarlane, F., Bate, P., Kyriakidou, O., & Peacock, R. (2005). Storylines of research in diffusion of innovation: a meta-narrative approach to systematic review. Social Science Medicine, 61, 417430
  16. Greenhow, C., Robelia, B., & Hughes, J. E. (2009). Learning, teaching, and scholarship in a digital age Web 2.0 and classroom research: What path should we take now? Educational Researcher, 38(4), 246-259.
  17. Haines, R. (2014). Group development in virtual teams: An experimental re-examination. Computers in Human Behavior, 39, 213-222.
  18. Hislop, D. (2010). Knowledge management as an ephemeral management fashion? Journal of Knowledge Management, 14(6), 779-790.
  19. Hunt, C. S., Smith, L. B., & Chen, M. (2010). Incorporating collaborative technologies into university curricula: Lessons learned. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 22(1), 24-37.
  20. Jensen, L. A., & Allen, M. N. (1996). Meta-synthesis of qualitative findings. Qualitative Health Research, 6(4), 553560.
  21. Johnson, R. D., Hornik, S., & Salas, E. (2008). An empirical examination of factors contributing to the creation of successful e-learning environments. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 66(5), 356-369.
  22. Kaznowska, E., Rogers, J., and Usher, A. (2011). The state of e-learning in Canadian universities, 2011: If students are digital natives, why don’t they like e-learning? Toronto: Higher Education Strategy Associates.
  23. Kim, C., Lee, S., & Kang, M. (2012). I became an attractive person in the virtual world: Users’ identification with virtual communities and avatars. Computers in Human Behavior, 28(1), 1663–1669.
  24. Krause, U. M., Stark, R., & Mandl, H. (2009). The effects of cooperative learning and feedback on e-learning in statistics. Learning and Instruction, 19(2), 158-170.
  25. Kwon, K., Hong, R. Y., & Laffey, J. M. (2013). The educational impact of metacognitive group coordination in computer-supported collaborative learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), 1271-1281.
  26. Lin, C., Standing, C., & Liu, Y. C. (2008). A model to develop effective virtual teams. Decision Support Systems, 45(4), 1031-1045.
  27. Martins, L. L., Gilson, L. L., & Maynard, M. T. (2004). Virtual teams: What do we know and where do we go from here? Journal of Management, 30(6), 805-835.
  28. Mays, N., Pope, C., & Popay, J. (2005). Systematically reviewing qualitative and quantitative evidence to inform management and policy-making in the health field. Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 10, S6-S20.
  29. Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
  30. Morrison, K. (2006). Peer assisted study sessions.Supporting quality learning and student engagement in economics & Business. Synergy, 25, 3-7. Retrieved from http://www.itl.usyd.edu.au/synergy/pdfs/2503.pdf
  31. Parke, M. R., Campbell, E. M., & Bartol, K. M. (2014, January). Setting the stage for virtual team development: Designing teams to foster knowledge sharing. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2014, No. 1, P. 17244). Academy of Management.
  32. Pope, C., Mays, N., & Popay, J. (2007). Synthesizing qualitative and quantitative health evidence a guide to methods. New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.
  33. Salmon, G. (2005). Flying not flapping: A strategic framework for e-learning and pedagogical innovation in higher education institutions. Research in Learning Technology, 13(3), 201–218
  34. Salyers, V., Carter, L., Carter, A., Myers, S., & Barrett, P. (2014). The search for meaningful e-learning at Canadian universities: A multi-institutional research study. The International Review of Research in Open and
  35. Sandelowski, M., Docherty, S., & Emden, C. (1997). Focus on qualitative methods qualitative metasynthesis: Issues and techniques. Research in Nursing and Health, 20, 365-372.
  36. Sangrà, A., Vlachopoulos, D., & Cabrera, N. (2012). Building an inclusive definition of e-learning: An approach to the conceptual framework. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(2), 145159.
  37. Savin-Baden, M., & Major, C. H. (2004). Foundations of problem-based learning. Maidenhead, England: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press.
  38. Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 1-8.
  39. Shea, T. P., Sherer, P. D., Quilling, R. D., & Blewett, C. N. (2011). Managing global virtual teams across classrooms, students and faculty. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 22(4), 300-313.
  40. Shen, D., Cho, M. H., Tsai, C. L., & Marra, R. (2013). Unpacking online learning experiences: Online learning self-efficacy and learning satisfaction. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 10-17.
  41. Tee, M. Y., & Karney, D. (2010). Sharing and cultivating tacit knowledge in an online learning environment. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5(4), 385-413.
  42. Toven-Lindsey, B., Rhoads, R. A., & Lozano, J. B. (2015). Virtually unlimited classrooms: Pedagogical practices in massive open online courses. The Internet and Higher Education, 24, 1-12.
  43. Tseng, H. W., & Yeh, H. T. (2013). Team members' perceptions of online teamwork learning experiences and building teamwork trust: A qualitative study. Computers & Education, 63, 1-9.
  44. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  45. Wickersham, L. E., & McGee, P. (2008). Perceptions of satisfaction and deeper learning in an online course. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 9(1), 73-83.

These references have been extracted automatically and may have some errors. Signed in users can suggest corrections to these mistakes.

Suggest Corrections to References

Links