Browsing by Subject "Cooperative Learning"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Lost In Familiar Places: The Struggle For Voice And Belonging In Online Adult Learning Groups
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Smith, Regina O.; Dirkx, John M.
    Many adults express a preference for learning in small groups but often find their group experiences frustrating and dissatisfying. This tension is increasingly evident in online learning, as collaborative methods become more popular within these environments. The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the emotional dynamics and processes reflected in this tension within online collaborative environments. Our findings suggest that online learning groups display behaviors that reflect two powerful, alternating, cyclical fears. On the one hand, the groups act as if they perceive a definite threat to individual identity. Such actions, however, seem to precipitate a corresponding fear of alienation and disconnectedness among group members. Getting stuck in this cycle of alternating fears may account for the lingering dissatisfaction adults have with group learning.
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    The Role Of Community In Online Learning
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Stein, David S.; Wheaton, Joe E.; Calvin, Jennifer; Overtoom, Christine
    This project examined learners’ perceptions of the learning community construct, whether learners’ online and face-to-face interactions led to the development of learning communities and whether the process of building community was different in face-to-face and web-based courses. Courses requiring learners to interact on a personal level early in the course were more likely to develop into learning communities. The degree of distance within the course did not make a difference in whether these learning communities developed. Rather, a sense of trust and of shared hardship as they worked through the course assignments were seen as more important by these learners. In situations where communications were considered inappropriate, developing communities were derailed or development never began. A definition of community emerged from the data that identified characteristics of shared learning goals, exchanging ideas, assisting each other, and an element of trust among the learners within the community.
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    Role Of Social Presence, Choice Of Online Or Face-To-Face Group Format, And Satisfaction With Perceived Knowledge Gained In A Distance Learning Environment
    (Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education, 2003) Stein, David S.; Wanstreet, Constance E.
    This mixed-methods study examined factors that contributed to satisfaction with perceived knowledge gained in a distance learning environment where collaboration represents a major portion of the course structure. Giving learners authority over the physical learning environment and offering different formats for collaboration, either online or in person, contributed to the learners’ overall satisfaction with the course. Results indicate that social presence may not have played a role in choice of distance learning format.
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    STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN SMALL COLLABORATIVE GROUPS ONLINE
    (2005-09-27T20:39:44Z) Smith, Regina O
    The purpose of this research is to develop a deeper understanding of collaborative learning as experienced by adult learners enrolled in an online course. The findings suggest that the participants in this study were caught in a paradox; they wanted to engage in learning where they were allowed to co-construct knowledge, but they also wanted to learn independently. The students participated in a form of resistance, which resulted in ambivalence rather than collaborative learning.