Abstract:

Collaborative learning has been shown to be a beneficial approach to education, but there is a lack of technology specifically designed to facilitate student collaboration. This study addresses this gap by developing an application supporting collaborative learning. In recent years, technological advances have transformed how people learn and collaborate, creating new opportunities for students to work together regardless of physical location. However, many existing collaborative tools are not optimised for educational purposes and lack key features enabling effective collaboration between students.

This study aims to develop an application that will support students' collaborative learning and encourage collaboration between students. The application is designed for remote, in-person, and hybrid learning environments. This study aims to identify the most useful features for collaborative learning and determine whether the application can produce the same effectiveness as in-person collaboration.

An iterative development method was used to continuously improve the application based on user feedback and feature requests to achieve these objectives. Two application versions were built using the MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React and Node.js) tech stack. The development process involved several stages: requirements gathering, design, implementation, and evaluation.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the application, we conducted a study with a group of students in a hybrid learning environment. The study involved comparing the performance of students who used the application to collaborate remotely with those who collaborated in person. The results showed that students who used the application performed just as well as those who collaborated in person, indicating that the application can produce the same effectiveness as in-person collaboration.

Moreover, students reported high satisfaction with the application, noting that it helped them communicate effectively with their peers and collaborate more efficiently. They also appreciated the flexibility and convenience of collaborating remotely, allowing them to work together even if they could not meet in person.

The development of this application has the potential to enhance collaborative learning experiences for students, regardless of their learning environment. It provides a user-friendly and effective way for students to work together, improving their understanding of the subject matter and enhancing their problem-solving skills. Additionally, the application is designed to be used by large groups of students in different learning environments.

This study has shown that developing a collaborative learning tool can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of student collaboration. By identifying the most useful features and evaluating the effectiveness of the application, we have demonstrated that technology can play a valuable role in enhancing collaborative learning. The findings of this study can be used to inform the design of future collaborative learning tools and to improve the effectiveness of collaborative learning in general. As technology continues to advance, there is a growing need for educational tools that can support collaborative learning and empower students to work together effectively. The development of this application is a step towards meeting that need, and we hope it will inspire further research and innovation in this area.

Keywords:

Collaborative learning, Technology, Hybrid learning, educational tools.