Designing a Pedagogical Strategy for the Implementation of Educational Technology in Collaborative Learning Environments

Abstract

Educational Technology (Ed. Tech) can provide different approaches to our learning designs and engage and motivate students to achieve their academic aims. However, few efforts have been made to use response tools in collaborative settings systematically. It has been argued that removing the social factor in a collaboration, i.e., the ability to micro-communicate and socially interact, makes it challenging to enhance the learning experience. This article investigates a possible pedagogical strategy to mitigate the potential adverse effects of moving the collaboration into an online or hybrid environment. The article aims at determining which pedagogical strategies are necessary to implement to heighten the learning outcome from collaborative work when using Ed. Tech. The results are extracted from previous research in the project iLikeIT2 and quantitative and qualitative data obtained through instructor training in four different countries with 46 participants. The data is analyzed according to codes and interpreted in the research group. The results provide recommendations on what to consider when using Ed. Tech in collaborative settings. For instance, how to design groups, how to do assessments, the type of facilitation needed, the amount of individual work within the group, and more.