Groupware for Collaborative Learning: A Research Perspective on
Processes, Opportunities, and Obstacles
Lynne Schrum
(University of Georgia, USA
Lschrum@coe.uga.edu)
Theodore A. Lamb
(Armstrong Laboratory US Air Force Academy Operating Location
LambTA.DFE@usafa.af.mil)
Abstract: Although the technology exists to provide
collaborative distance learning and training through electronic
networks and groupware, little is currently known about appropriate
ways in which to structure these learning environments. This article
describes two research projects using groupware for collaborative
learning activities. The first was a graduate business course
conducted entirely online with geographically dispersed
individuals. The second project investigated the use of groupware for
collaborative writing and problem solving at a military academy with
undergraduate students. Results and conclusions are presented to
inform others working with computer networks and groupware. Keywords: groupware, collaborative learning, electronic
networks, distance learning
1 Introduction
Computer networks, a common feature of business, military, and
educational settings, offer tremendous opportunities for groups to
communicate. It is clear that they also present a manner in which to
accomplish collaborative work and enhance distant educational
experiences [Rohfeld and Hiemstra 94]. Technological advances have
increased the expectations for distance learning; unfortunately,
collaboration and interactivity are frequently lost in new electronic
environments. Groupware, a new category of software, offers
possibilities to enhance traditional communication
technologies. Government funded education and training courses could
be completed using a combination of technologies. Home bound or
physically challenged individuals could gain access to resources and
training. Instructors and trainees could access remote databases
relevant to their work, while still connected to each other. Thus far,
examination of the potential has been Page 717
focused in only a few areas, but the potential for distance learning
is worthy of more serious investigation. This paper will discuss the use of groupware to support collaborative
distance education and create interactivity between and among groups
of learners, regardless of their geographic location. It will report
on research that examined the use of groupware in one graduate
business course for geographically dispersed participants, and then
describe ongoing research conducted with students enrolled in courses
at one military service academy. The researchers investigated the
benefits, problems, and serendipitous results of groups working
together using new technologies and software. The paper concludes with
recommendations for using groupware in collaborative settings.
2 Perspectives from Literature
Groupware refers to software that supports and augments group work,
however, most investigations have focused on those capabilities useful
in business settings, particularly among co-located populations who
used the software synchronously, often in group decision activities
[Valacich, Dennis and Nunamaker 91]. The literature is only now
beginning to expand the conceptualization of the use of groupware to
include asynchronous and geographically distant activities. It has become clear that technology changes the way in which people
behave, according to [Lea and Spears 91]. They identified a change
in informal and formal talk, and individuals' loss of identity and
de-individuation. [Tatar, Foster and Bobrow 91] suggest
consideration for what group work really means. It is not just many
individuals working at computers at the same time, but it means
"giving participants the ability to judge when it is appropriate to
overlap, just as they judge the efficacy" of adding to verbal
conversations [1991, p. 77]. It is necessary that group members learn
and act out their roles in these situations [Olson and Bly 91]. [Harasim 90] summarized the characteristics of online courses as
place and time independent, many to many communication that fosters
real collaborative learning, and dependent on text based
communications to promote thoughtful and reflective commentary. Other
advantages to using this type of distance learning are the
instantaneous and asynchronous communication, access to geographically
isolated communities, multiple participation within activities, and
cultural sharing of diversity and similarities among the people of our
world. Levinson summed up computer conferencing, an earlier type of
asynchronous online learning, that set it apart from correspondence
courses. It offers immediacy, encourages group exchanges (between
teacher and students, among students) and it is also very different
from computer assisted instruction as "computer conference is
communicating through computers to other people, rather than to an
already determined computer program" [Levinson 90]. Page 718
In an extensive examination of online education, Mason and Kaye found
much to applaud. They noted, the provision of an opportunity, which never existed before, to create
a network of scholars, "space" for collective thinking, and access to
peers for socializing and serendipitous exchange. [1990, p. 23] It is important to recognize that the environment in which a course is
constructed is significant to the development of an online educational
experience. According to Harasim, "Lessons gained over the past two
decades of experience in network communication highlight the
importance of designing the environment. Networlds are the
intersection of social and technical systems; design involves both
technical and social considerations" [1993, p. 29]. Learners report greater control and responsibility toward their
learning; students also find that the act of writing demands greater
reflection than speaking [Rohfeld and Hiemstra 94]. Several
research and anecdotal studies have looked at online components of
traditional courses and have concluded that these components
substantially increase the communication between the teacher and the
students, and among the students, when compared with similar writing
classes without the computer communication component [Hartman 94];
[Hiltz 90]; [Schrum 95]. Regardless of the medium, electronic communication appears to foster
collaboration and group interactions. In a study of distributed
research, in which individuals who were geographically distant from
each other collaborated on a research project, [Olson and Bly 91]
concluded that "interpersonal computing supports people communicating
and working together through the computer; it includes tools to
support interaction separated by time and/or space as well as face-
to-face interaction and meetings. ... Work forced the boundaries of
social place to extend beyond the boundaries of physical place"
[p. 81]. The questions with which we began these research investigations
included: What activities were supported and facilitated by using
groupware in an electronic environment? What are the pedagogical strengths and weaknesses in
this environment? What benefits and difficulties do participants
report when using groupware for collaborative writing projects? Page 719
What benefits and obstacles do participants report when using
groupware for collaborative problem solving? What incidental or serendipitous learning occurred while using
groupware for collaborative learning?
3 Project One
The purpose of this project was to examine one online course exploring
the emerging phenomenon of teaching in a distance education model
using groupware from the perspectives of the participants, the
instructor, and the personnel who supported the course. This research
specifically focused on a graduate business course offered in the
Spring, 1996 by a major Graduate School of Business in the
northeast. This course has been taught since 1983 in two traditional
formats. In one format, students work with business organizations on
an authentic competitive intelligence (CI) project, which provides
them with hands-on experience. Unfortunately, this situated approach
to the topic fails to allow time for coverage of a wide array of
topics appropriate to the study of competitive intelligence. The
second format is more traditional, based upon the
lecture/discussion/exercise model. Readings, lectures, cases,
exercises, and discussions provide coverage of a wide range of topics
in this format, but leave no time for application projects. The course described in this study attempted to combine the two models
with the help of groupware technology. The instructor chose this
technology-enhanced hybrid model because it allowed students to cover
the range of material, while saving time through online discussions
which could be spent upon application projects. In addition, this
model allowed geographically-dispersed students to participate. Spread
over the United States, these students would not have been able to
participate otherwise. By combining a wide breadth of information with
discussion and application, participants hoped to achieve a better
holistic learning experience than they would have encountered through
the traditional lecture/discussion/exercise model alone. This graduate business course on Competitive Intelligences,
conducted entirely online among geographically dispersed students,
represented a unique opportunity to identify essential issues in the
development and delivery of such courses, and provided individual and
group reactions that serve to inform the evolution of online
educational experiences. A few local students were advised to
participate as if they were located at a distance.
3.1 Methods
A case study approach is an appropriate manner in which to
investigate this type of emerging phenomenon, particularly in a
situation that is evolving and in which it is Page 720
important to ascertain the participants' understandings of the
processes. Qualitative methods "are a source of well-grounded, rich
descriptions and explanations of processes occurring in local
contexts" [Miles and Huberman 84]. This course represented
a challenge for traditional research methods, especially considering
that conducting research using ethnographic techniques via an
electronic format is a fairly recent possibility; to do so in an
ethical manner is an even greater challenge [Schrum 95]. Efforts were expended to triangulate the data sources and methods, and
to include all possible opportunities to understand the experiences
from as many perspectives as possible; these included analysis of
written documents and group discussions, individual perspectives, and
community memories [Lincoln and Guba 85]; [Miles and Huberman 84]; [Patton 87]. The text exchanges, lessons, and responses were
captured for analysis. Individuals were invited to participate in
individual electronic or telephone interviews that were designed to
investigate the program processes, document variations among and
between participants, and sought to understand and describe the events
and resulting impacts from this course. These semi-structured
interviews were conducted using naturalistic inquiry. The qualitative
data were coded by the researcher and then compared, analyzed, and
synthesized based on emerging themes. Additionally, an evaluation survey was conducted using Likert-type
scales and allowing anonymous participant responses. Respondents were
asked to indicate their agreement on each statement across four
options. These evaluation surveys were computed for means and
percentages to understand participants' responses to the conferencing
software, the study guides, and the online communication
experiences. Descriptive data were also collected from the
participants.
3.2 Discussion
The investigation offered a detailed description of the course from
multiple perspectives; each constituency provided an understanding of
the processes and outcomes of this course. The class consisted of
eighteen students. Nine of these students were enrolled as graduate
students in the business school. The other nine were widely
distributed across the United States. Because of this circumstance,
the class never met face-to-face. The Terry Business College of the University of Georgia provided use
of their World Wide Web-based groupware program TCBWorks . The
interface of TCBWorks permits the establishment of separate student
and professor comment files. These files, open to all students,
allowed them to express opinions, suggestions, and observations about
the course material and groupware. The interface also encouraged
participants to set up discussions about an unlimited number of topics
and subtopics, depending upon subjects and interests. Page 721
3.2.1 Class Session Description
Sessions were conducted in a consistent manner, all online. First,
students reviewed the session outline, objectives, key concepts,
readings, and topics for discussion. Second, the professor initiated
the discussion by summarizing the session topic and raising points for
deliberation. Third, students continued the online discussion,
initiating ideas and following up on comments in the manner of a
normal discussion. During the eighth week of the course, sessions were
changed from asynchronous to synchronous discussions scheduled for the
duration of one hour. This modification was made at the suggestion of
several students.
3.2.2 Participants' Perspectives
The participants provided interesting comments and feedback through
their survey and during the discussions. Most particularly, they
appeared to concentrate on the opportunity to take the class, to
interact with others, and to focus on the content. The specifics of
the format, that is the online experience with groupware, appeared to
be of less interest to these individuals than one might have expected.
3.2.3 Online Survey Component.
An evaluation survey, using Likert-type scales, was posted online
toward the end of the course, and the energy expended to allow
anonymous responses was worthwhile. Ten of the participants responded
to the survey, which focused on three main topics. The conferencing system was rated as relatively easy to use
(1.5) on a scale where 1 = very easy to use and 4 = very difficult to
use. Inserting comments was also rated as relatively easy (1.5) and
navigating was only slightly less easy (1.8). One participant
commented that it was "very simple. After a few false starts, I got
the hang of things and have had no problems." Questions about the study guide that accompanied the course asked
participants to use a scale of 1 to 4 where 1 = strongly disagree and
4 = strongly agree with positive statements in the following
areas. The guide was useful (2.9); the conferencing system was
explained well (2.8); the organization of the discussion was clearly
explained (2.7); the students felt prepared for participating in the
discussion (2.6), and the assignments were explained clearly
(2.8). One participant wrote, "The study guide was fine, there were a
few times when I should have emailed Professor Prent but that was my
problem, not the guide's." The feedback even included relatively minor
suggestions: "I would suggest putting the assignment sheet on colored
paper ..." When it came to an evaluation of the class interactions, students had
fairly strong opinions. The learners felt comfortable participating in
the computer conferencing Page 722
discussions (3.5); did not feel particularly connected to the other
participants (2.5), felt that the instructor was easily assessable
(3.1), and that technical support was fairly accessible (2.9). Overwhelmingly, the majority of open ended comments were focused on
the lack of quality class communications and interactions. One
participant wrote, "I would suggest that for future classes in this
area there should be scheduled times where everybody should be online
in order to simulate an in-class discussion. My problems usually
result in the lack of immediate feedback from colleagues." Another
said, "I would prefer to set a time for everyone to be online at the
same time. Also I have not had a sense of closure on any of the
individual sessions." Finally, one other student summarized, "I am
still not sure if the value added from being able to prepare a well
thought out answer outweighs the dynamic atmosphere of a real time
classroom."
3.2.4 Interview Data
Participants in this course began with great enthusiasm, however, by
the end of the course the number of active members had dwindled. The
discussions were rich at the outset, with a high degree of energy
devoted to ethical issues, definitions, and stories of practical
applications of competitive intelligence. These discussions diminished
considerably over the space of ten weeks, partially due to the effort
required to participate. Although many of the respondents to the survey asked for synchronous
discussions, not everyone agreed that this would be beneficial. When
the Professor arranged these live interactive chats, at least one
participant was less than enthusiastic. He commented, "During the
online discussion, someone who does not type quickly is at a
disadvantage, the input is frustrating, and a spell checker is not
available! " Overall, comments from the students were positive. Specifics about the
relationship among the students include the following, "Some of the
members feel like friends." "Some had limited participation and then
haven't shown up. I'm not sure what happened to some of them." Some of
the students consistently participated, and one student said, "I have
a perception of them as they think and where they are coming from." A few suggestions were made by students. These included limiting the
number of screens or topics, focusing the discussion more, and
encouraging people to respond in a timely fashion to particular
discussion areas. For example, one student mentioned that not everyone
complied with a request to add their own questions or to
respond. Another commented, "There were too many topics, and you have
to keep checking to see if someone has posted a comment in every
topic." The pressure to participate, rather than just passively read
others' comments, may have contributed to the drop out rate. In spite
of the difficulties, one student summed up Page 723
his feelings, "I have really enjoyed this course, would take another,
and it was good content."
3.2.5 Instructor Perspectives
As a professor who was undertaking his first venture into teaching an
entire class in cyberspace, Dr. Prent admitted apprehension along with
excitement. Confident that the course material could be delivered in
the groupware medium, he could not predict what to expect on a
day-to-day basis. A positive prior experience with
telecommunication-enhanced distance learning had piqued his curiosity
about what a totally online course would be like. For groupware enterprises, an extremely high level of infrastructure
support is necessary. As with many technology projects, diverse
skills, troubleshooting, and teamwork were needed to successfully
complete the project. In this cyberclass, the instructor took on the
role of a content expert; he worked more as part of a production team
than just as a "teacher." Emphasis needed to shift from a focus on the
technology to coordinating a "diverse set of delivery skills." This
course was the most structured in his career and he didn't expect this
at first. This was a problem for someone who prefers less
structure. Dr. Prent expected innovation to suffer, but "students and
teachers alike will find ways to be creative." With regard to online discussions, Dr. Prent reflected that, "Online
discussions do not flow like face-to-face discussions." If there are
too many subtopics (more than three), discussions are difficult to
follow. Conversely, one category is too few, because discussion tends
to vary widely and threads may go off in many different directions. With TCBWorks,
participants must shift from topic to topic regularly. This presents a
cognitive problem: following multiple discussions simultaneously is a
bit like a 3-ring circus. Prent commented,
It is comparable to being at a party and trying to involve yourself in
three semi-related discussions. You are not able to fully integrate
yourself in any one of the discussions plus you run the risk of
annoying the people you are talking with since your attention is
divided.
He felt strongly that more research is needed on how to choose topics,
how much variety to use, and how much time to spend on any one
item. He wondered, "What is the tolerance level for participants
concerning entering the software numerous times?" Page 724
Effective communication is essential in cyberspace because there is a
lot of room for misinterpretation. Comments should be meaty but
concise. Interactivity adds a dimension of difficulty to effective
communication. Individual preparation is essential for effective
online communication. Given the setup of this course, Prent found it very difficult to gain
a holistic sense of student personalities. This subjective dimension
is arguably important for evaluation. Additional mechanisms for
meaningful sharing are needed. Would he repeat this experience?
"Definitely. I am more excited now than I was when we began this
journey."
3.3 Results
The investigation offered a detailed
description of the course from multiple perspectives. The data in this
investigation provide more than an interesting glimpse into the
perspectives of the participants and instructor of this
course. Several recommendations can be distilled for others who might
be interested in exploring teaching or learning via a distance network using groupware. Students made suggestions regarding structure and focus of the course
and environment. These included a request for fewer concurrent topics
active in the software, inclusion of both synchronous and asynchronous
activities, and devoting more energy to interpersonal interaction. The content was consistently rated as substantial and fundamental to
the students' purpose and goals. The participation of geographically
dispersed individuals and use of groupware were secondary. Although a
number of students abandoned the class, little energy was expended to
find participants' reasons for dropping out. That information may be
useful to gather in the future. The professor, undertaking his first venture into teaching an entire
class in cyberspace, admitted apprehension along with excitement. He
reported that an extremely high level of infrastructure support is
necessary. As with many technology projects, troubleshooting,
attention to participants' diverse skills, and teamwork were needed to
successfully complete the project. In this cyberclass, the instructor
took on the role of a content expert; he worked more as part of a
production team than just as a "teacher."
4 Project Two
These research projects were created to determine the viability of
using groupware to support collaborative writing and problem solving
within the context of projects that are assigned in courses that meet
in a traditional face to face model. A military service academy
represented a unique opportunity to study such uses, because all
participants had access to high end technology, and yet they
frequently enjoy little Page 725
possibility to work together on group projects. Researchers recruited
the professor of a summer class to participate in the pilot projects. After exhaustive study of many groupware packages, researchers and
personnel at the Service Academy determined that LotusNotes would be
the most desirable choice for the pilot and actual
experimentation. Once this decision was made, effort was expended in
creating scenarios and job tools, and ascertaining hardware
requirements for the implementation.
4.1 Pilot Alpha Description
The class, a mandatory course focused on leadership, had twelve
students. These students were enrolled during the summer primarily to
reduce their fall semester load, for either sports or flight
activities. The class met 15 times, for three hours per meeting. These
students were all comfortable with computers, with electronic
communications, and with group projects, however none of the 12 had
previously used groupware. The first pilot consisted of students entering a networked computer
lab, but having no previous information about their activity. They
were given a brief introduction to LotusNotes. Then they were randomly
assigned to groups of four and were given three hours in which to
collaboratively write a paper describing a policy decision that was
unpopular and ways in which leadership might respond to this
circumstance. During this pilot the students were given three hours in which to
complete the task. Unfortunately, the hardware and software posed
enormous problems for the students. Computers crashed, the software
refused to allow printing, and in total the perception of the
groupware was largely negative. In spite of these difficulties, the
groups did produce a collaborative paper, and managed to complete the
assignment on time.
4.2 Pilot Bravo Description
The twelve students were divided into three groups of four students
each by the instructor. Their task was to visit an organization in the
local area, either a business or other enterprise, identify its
organizational culture and leadership patterns, and then to
collaboratively write about their experience. They were to assess the
situation as they saw it, and to analyze the organization with respect
to the leadership attributes they had studied. They were again asked to use LotusNotes in the
networked computer lab to complete this project, and they again had
three hours in which to accomplish this. One of the groups completed
this task on one day and the other two groups completed this task on a
separate day. Page 726
4.3 Methods
Methods that were planned included Likert type pre- and post-test
surveys of all participating students, electronic and on-site
observations, semi-structured interviews with randomly selected
participants and the instructor, and analysis of transcripts of group
process work. Data analysis included statistical analysis of the pre-
and post-tests, content analysis of the observations, interviews and
transcripts of group processes. The qualitative data were coded by the
researchers individually and then the researchers compared and
synthesized the results. The utilization of multiple methods and peer
interaction was designed to triangulate the research perspectives and
increase the understanding of the participants' perspectives and
response to the activities using groupware.
4.4 Results
Unfortunately, the researchers feel that the difficulties with the
hardware and software have severely compromised much of the
statistical data. Given the difficulties with the hardware and
software, and the artificial nature of the assignments, expectations
were not extremely high. Nevertheless, data were generated and
information was gathered that proved important and informed the
planning for the next set of pilot projects. Many things became clear
during the pilot projects. Overall, an electronic network did enable collaborative and group
activities. Interaction was fostered and students were individually
responsible and accountable for that interaction, and for the ultimate
product. Leadership patterns and roles did emerge although it is still
unclear how the nature of the task impacted these roles. Strategies
to accomplish the tasks were identifiable. The data offered information about the tasks and the use of the
groupware. The students felt that they could have more easily
accomplished the task without using the network, or could have used
the network with electronic mail and attachments. They also felt that
even if the technology had worked perfectly it would not have been
better than their traditional manner of group work. The reality of the
situation (participants sitting in one room with multiple researchers
observing them) and the artificial nature of their task (to accomplish
something using technology that would have been easier done by
shouting) was disconcerting. From these pilots, it is also clear that the tasks given to the
subjects must be relevant and authentic. Imposing quiet on the
participants would have assisted with the experiment, but would have
been difficult and increased the artificial nature of the
test. Equally onerous for the students was the use of video cameras
during the pilots and this was mentioned by all those who were
individually interviewed. Page 727
Beyond the nature of the task, a great deal was learned about the
planning and support necessary for actually carrying out a project
using groupware. First, technical support is essential. All components
of the technology must be running smoothly, operationally sound, and
those hardware glitches that can be identified as potential hazards
must be resolved. Second, it is clear that all personnel have a stake
in the success of the project. This ownership of the project is
essential if individuals are expected to learn new skills, to provide
timely assistance, and to tackle difficult problems. Third, it would
be extremely helpful to determine what participant prerequisites (for
example, knowledge and skills of computer applications) are
significant to the success of the activity.
5 Conclusions
Distance education represents a step toward lifelong learning so
individuals can maintain professional expertise, share information,
and work collaboratively. Technology now supports this with
interactive networks and groupware, which allows synchronous and
asynchronous discussions, collaborative activities, and group decision
making. This research looked carefully at the emerging phenomenon of
online and collaborative learning. These research efforts represent a first step at investigating the use
of groupware for collaborative learning experiences. This paper
described one distance education course, delivered using an Internet
and web based groupware product, from the perspectives of the students
and instructor. It also provided information about the viability of
groupware for collaboration within a single course setting to
accomplish new activities. These studies demonstrate that groupware holds potential for
interactive collaborative learning, and distance education for many
activities, but is not completely successful for all learners in all
situations. The researchers, using information from this and other
research, created a framework to identify applications of groupware,
which include education, business, and research. Further research is
needed to provide more information regarding best practices in using
groupware for content specific learning, collaborative problem
solving, and group processes. It is also important to identify those
features needed and desirable within groupware packages (Appendix A). Lessons learned from these experiences will inform future planning for
using this and other groupware packages, and assist instructors in
creating viable courses and assignments for both teaching and
learning. Results suggest positive outcomes for content learning, and
some strong suggestions for improving the structure and process of
this type of online activity. Page 728
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Page 730
Appendix A Groupware Investigation
I. Communication models needed
A. Synchronous (chat mode)
B. Asynchronous discussions
C. Wide area networks
D. Application document transfers
II. Research Support
A. Data Collection
B. Multiple views for analysis of the data
C. Feedback modes
III. Problem Solving
A. Posing complex problems for multiple audiences
B. Ability to reconfigure groups, share solutions, and brainstorm
IV. Construction - Writing
A. Support for collaborative writing
B. Support for collaborative editing
V. Support for the processes - to include or exclude any of the following:
A. Structures
B. Models
C. Teacher Support and feedback
D. Flexibility to modify or replicate easily
VI. Ongoing support issues
A. Hardware requirements
B. Upgradeable / software
C. Personnel requirements
Page 731
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