PRESENTATION DESCRIPTION
E-learning has transformed traditional ways of learning in higher
education. Globally, e-learning continues to gain popularity as its
potential contributions to economic and social development and
innovation are recognized. In the U.S., for example, in 2012, over 6.7
million students were taking at least one online course, an increase of
570,000 students over the number reported in the previous year (Allen
& Seaman, 2013). The increased access and flexibility offered by
e-learning has also been recognized as a fundamental vehicle for
fostering a lifelong learning society (Canadian Council on Learning,
2009).
A recent Canadian report highlighted the importance of e-learning to
social and economic development, and called for a coherent framework to
shape e-learning?s development, noting the need for concerted efforts to
fill gaps in research and harness the potential of technology to meet
the needs of learners (Canadian Council on Learning, 2009). A stronger
understanding of determinants of effective online learning is therefore
essential for the future success of education and training worldwide.
Today, educators are striving to conceptualize new models of teaching
and learning in online settings, where digital information tools and
social networks are redefining the learning experience (Edwards &
Bone, 2012). E-learning offers the potential ?to enable student centred
learning through realisation of constructivist teaching principles?
(Edwards & Bone, 2012). However, this potential has not been
realized, as most current e-learning practices merely replicate or
transfer traditional existing teaching methods into online environments
(Salmon, 2005), and most have not fully exploited the interactive and
social components of peer learning. As Hunt, Smith & Chen (2010)
observed, academicians need to challenge students to engage, and one way
to accomplish this is by using active collaborative teaching scenarios.
There is growing practical evidence that one of the key factors for
e-learning success is an understanding of the social component of
learning, i.e., the importance of person-to-person and team interactions
within the e-learning framework. Social aspects of peer learning can
contribute to student motivation and engagement, enhance social
connections, and increase student access to feedback about their
learning (Morrison, 2006). In other words, group or team work, according
to precepts of adult education, promotes ?deeper? learning through its
propensity to encourage creativity, higher level critical thinking,
innovation, and collaboration. As team work is often utilized in the
professional context, this type of work also provides the skills that
students require in today?s workplace.
Virtual teams are one such example of a form of workplace team with
potential implications for e-learning. Virtual teams are groups of
people committed to a common purpose or goal who are separated
geographically, who use a variety of communication technologies that
allow them to transcend the limits of time and distance, in order to
work together (Ale Ebrahim, Ahmed & Taha, 2009; Green & Roberts,
2010; Martins, Gilson & Maynard, 2004). Aside from their ability to
allow highly skilled but geographically dispersed individuals to work
together, past studies have claimed other benefits of virtual teams, for
example, increased team cohesion and a greater sense of responsibility
among team members (Ale Ebrahim et al., 2009), increased participation
among members and reduction in the effects of status inequalities
(Martins et al., 2004), and provision of more opportunity for an
international perspective (Green & Roberts, 2010). There is a
growing body of knowledge on how to develop effective virtual teams in
the professional context (Fairzuniah & Chan, 2014; Parke, Campbell,
& Bartol, 2014; Berry, 2011). As well, there is some discussion in
academic circles of possible relationships between e-learning and
virtual teams (Erez, Lisak, Harush, Glikson, Nouri, & Shokef, 2013;
Shea, Sherer, Quilling & Blewett, 2011). However, there is a dearth
of research that examines the role of virtual teams in e-learning;
virtual teams have not been extensively empirically studied in the
academic sphere, and little is known about their effectiveness as a
learning mechanism.
Based on a working hypothesis that the body of literature on virtual
teams can inform and augment best practices for successful e-learning,
this Knowledge Synthesis project examines the literature on both
e-learning and virtual teams. The key research question is whether
virtual teams used in the e-learning space are potentially effective in
producing better student outcomes and enhanced learning. It is useful
therefore to consider what lessons can be learned from the literature on
virtual teams which can be applied and used within e-learning
environments. In order to draw these conclusions, there is a need for an
in-depth review of findings in the literature on virtual teams
concerning the impacts and results from virtual teamwork, which can be
useful or transferred to general e-learning.
The researchers will have completed a systematic search of the
literature, academic and grey, for virtual teams and for e-learning
across multi-disciplinary fields in higher education, including
business, medicine, education, and technology, among Through an
iterative approach, the research team will have identified patterns,
themes, and categories across large volumes of text-based data used to
extract a set of best practices from each field. According to an
analysis and interpretive synthesis of these findings, a comprehensive
framework of key determinants and critical success factors for effective
online learning and collaboration will have been developed.
This project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada, the major federal funding agency for
humanities and social sciences research in Canada. The research team
will present the final report of our findings to this agency in
September 2015, and to the On-line Conference shortly thereafter.
REFERENCES
Ale
Ebrahim, N., Ahmed, S., and Taha, Z. (2009). Virtual teams: A
literature review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences,
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Allen, I. E. and Seaman, J. (2013). Changing course: Ten years of
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