Students’Perceived Challenges in an Online Collaborative Learning Environment: A Case of Higher Learning Institutions in Nairobi, Kenya
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Date
2014
Authors
Muuro, Maina Elizaphan
Wagacha, Waiganjo Peter
Oboko, Robert
Kihoro, John
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
\'E}rudit
Abstract
Earlier forms of distance education were characterized by minimal social interaction
like correspondence, television, video and radio. However, the World Wide Web
(WWW) and online learning introduced the opportunity for much more social
interaction, particularly among learners, and this has been further made possible
through social media in Web 2.0. The increased availability of collaborative tools in Web
2.0 has made it possible to have online collaborative learning realized in Higher
Learning Institutions (HLIs). However, learners can perceive the online collaborative
learning process as challenging and they fail to utilize these collaborative tools
effectively. Although a number of challenges have been mentioned in the literature,
considerable diversity exists among countries due to diversity in infrastructure support
for e-learning and learners’ background. This motivated this study to investigate
components of online collaborative learning perceived as challenging by learners in
HLIs in Kenya. Using a questionnaire, a survey was conducted in two public universities
and two private universities to identify students’ perceived challenges in an online
collaborative learning environment. Through purposive sampling the questionnaire was
distributed to 210 students using e-mail and 183 students responded. Based on
descriptive analysis the following five major challenges were rated as high: lack of
feedback from instructors, lack of feedback from peers, lack of time to participate, slow
internet connectivity, and low or no participation of other group members. There was
also a relationship between the university type (private or public) with the perceived
challenges which included: lack of feedback from the instructor (𝒑=0.046) and work
load not shared equally among group members (𝒑=0.000). Apart from slow internet
connectivity the rest of the challenges were in line with the observed challenges in the
literature.These key challenges identified in this study should provide insight to
educators on the areas of collaborative learning that should be improved in order to
provide access to quality education that supports effective online collaborative learning
in HLIs in Kenya
Description
Article
Keywords
Social interaction, Web 2.0, online collaborative learning, perceived challenges, collaborative tools, HLIs in Kenya
Citation
Muuro, M. E., Wagacha, W. P., Kihoro, J., & Oboko, R. (2014). Students’ perceived challenges in an online collaborative learning environment: A case of higher learning institutions in Nairobi, Kenya. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 15(6), 132-161.