STUDENT EXPERIENCES IN SMALL COLLABORATIVE GROUPS ONLINE

Abstract

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.