Abstract:

One of the biggest problems in online education is related to student involvement and dropout. Lack of social interaction between peers is one of the main factors influencing this (Baber, 2021). This is caused by students learning individually (Toven-Lindsey et al., 2015). The use of collaborative learning in online education can potentially be a solution, as it relies on the social interaction with peers and teachers, which not only reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation (Mbukusa et al., 2017), but also increases learning and social performance (Johnson & Johnson, 2009; Panitz 2019). The latter is further enhanced when social interaction stems from feedback and reflection. However, although collaborative learning is premised on social interaction, social interaction cannot be taken for granted.

This is especially true in an online collaborative learning (OCL) setting where all the communication and collaboration have to take place through the mostly text-based electronic learning environments, often in an a-synchronous mode (Kreijns et al., 2003). To stimulate and support interaction as well as reflection in OCL groups, a mobile application was developed. The Feedback and Reflection in Online Collaborative Learning (FROCOLE) app aims to enhance social interaction in long-running (about 8-12 weeks), a-synchronous OCL groups in online higher education. The feedback part of the app utilizes a graphical interface to facilitate interpretation of the feedback data whereas the reflection part will apply a pedagogical agent to script the reflection process. The app was developed in collaboration with a software development company and as part of an iterative development process, presented to several educators as well as tested by a group of users to collect feedback for further development. In addition, the app was piloted in a higher education course from the start of September until the end of October 2021. Evaluation took place early November, after the course ended, and included evaluation regarding the usefulness of the app as well as the usability of the app. Preliminary results suggest that the app was perceived as useful for discussing feedback (stimulating interaction) and encouraging reflection and that it was easy to use. Currently the app is piloted in another higher education course which runs until the end of December. Both evaluation results will be included and directions for further development will be discussed.

Keywords:

Peer feedback, reflection, online collaborative learning, app development, usability.