First Advisor

Ursyn, Anna

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

5-16-2017

Abstract

Modern classrooms are no longer always traditional, in face-to-face settings. Many students take part in online classes and hybrid classes. Education technology has made it possible for students to learn anytime and anyplace, which can be critical if attending class is difficult. This quantitative study explored the use of the wiki tool PBWorks for group collaboration in a hybrid setting. The participants were students from two classes, each studying the same course with the same professor at the University of Najran in Najran, Saudi Arabia. There were 21 students in the control group and 19 students in the experimental group (N = 40). Both classes were split into small groups for collaborative projects, with the experimental group working online using PBWorks to collaborate. The study explored if there were any differences in academic achievement between groups and if there were any differences in students’ attitudes toward collaboration. The results indicated that, although both classes had similar improvement academically, the experimental group improved at a faster rate. Both groups showed an improvement in attitude toward collaborative learning, however, there was no statistically significant difference between groups in pre- and post-survey or interaction between time and attitude. There are implications related to this study the demonstrate using online resources such as PBWorks can make a difference in how quickly students achieve academically, can help students become more self-regulated learners, and transfer educational experiences into their career experiences. Using online resources can be valuable in emergency and stressful situations when attending traditional classrooms is unmanageable, such as in war-torn areas.

Keywords

Wikis, PBWorks, collaboration, education technology, hybrid class, academic achievement

Extent

84 pages

Local Identifiers

Almonuf_unco_0161D_10572

Rights Statement

Copyright belongs to the author.

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