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Abstract—Collaboration is considered to be a key learning
skill essential for success in the new global economy.
Collaboration is labeled as a 21st Century skill among Critical
thinking, Creativity, and Information Literacy. Collaboration is
also indicated as an important skill in Japanese Higher
education. In this case study, an integrated groupware is
applied to a higher education setting to a total of 480 students
enrolled in a course entitled “Basic Seminar: Social Design”. In
the study, students utilized the groupware for class interaction
and group work. Questionnaire evaluated the usage of the
groupware and the perception of the students on collaborative
learning. The study suggest for a solution for scaffolding system
to further collaborative learning.
Index Terms—Collaboration, groupware, classroom
interaction, higher education.
I. INTRODUCTION
Today, we live in a rapidly changing society driven by
technology and marked by an access to abundance of
information. The ability to collaborate and make individual
contributions has become essential in an unprecedented scale.
In recent years, integrating what is commonly referred to as
21st Century Skills in education has become a prominent
global trend. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a
national organization of the U.S.A and UNESCO promote a
framework for student success in the new global
economy[1]-[3].The framework shows that students must
learn the essential skills for success in today’s world, such as
critical thinking, problem solving, communication and
collaboration. These learning and innovative skills are
labeled as 4Cs-Critical thinking, Communication,
Collaboration and Creativity. In addition to such skills, the
Partnership for 21st Century Skills and UNESCO argue that
effective citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range
of skills such as: Information Literacy, Media Literacy and
ICT (Information, Communications and Technology)
Literacy.
This framework and idea is now widely promoted in Asia
and Pacific Region [3], [4]. For example, the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology in Japan
indicated the importance of teaching the 21st Century Skills
skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication
and creativity as well as, and Information Literacy in the
classrooms, often using the term “Active Learning” [4].
Manuscript received August 14, 2013; revised November 16, 2013.
The authors are with the Department of Media Science, Tokyo University
of Technology, Tokyo, Japan (e-mail: iinuma@ stf.teu.ac.jp, matsuhashi@
stf.teu.ac.jp, tagiru@ stf.teu.ac.jp, chiyokura@ stf.teu.ac.jp).
II. COLLABORATION AND TECHNOLOGY
The use of technology may influence many aspects of
learning and instruction. For example, the report by the
National Center for Post-secondary Education [5] described
that technology may impact teaching and learning in higher
education, including the nature of knowledge, the
relationship among participants in the learning and teaching
process, the content of courses, and the use of time in
teaching. Knowledge students can acquire may be different,
since multiple resources can be easily located using the
Internet. The relationship among participants may change
due from those typically found in most college classrooms [6].
Students may have more equal access to opportunities to
participate in on-line discussion than in a face-to-face class.
In face-to face groups students may feel intimidated to
participate with other students but may feel less so using
online tools.
Also, many of the justifications for the use of technology
in education are made on the basis that higher order of
thinking is possible with the support by various applications
[6]. Collaboration among peers is generally considered to be
an important contributor to students` higher order of thinking
[6]. A widely used definition of collaboration states that it is
“a construction of shared knowledge through activities with
others, where the participants are committed to or engaged in
shared goals and problem solving” [7]. Collaboration,
development of higher order skills, and engagement in
authentic tasks are some of the important key ideas in
constructivist learning theory which bases its philosophy on
the idea that knowledge is constructed by the learner through
activity [8]. According to this theory, collaboration fosters
deep learning by exposing students to different perspectives
and allowing opportunity for negotiation to occur [9], [10].
Collaboration has the potential to increase the quality of
discourse, provide alternative explanation, generate multiple
solutions to problems, and allow for the inclusion of many
different kinds of skills. However, successful collaboration is
not easy to create [6]. Since it is widely accepted today that
learning takes place in social interaction, integrating
collaboration in learning contexts is especially important for
designing learning environment using technology.
Research on collaborative learning and the use of ICT has
been integrated in the area called Computer Supported
Collaborative Learning (CSCL) [11], [12]. Koschmann
defines CSCL as “a field centrally concerned with meaning
and practices of meaning-making in the context of joint
activity and the ways in which these practices are mediated
through designed artifacts” [12]. Koschmann suggests that
technology such as computer can play an important role in
Collaborative Learning Using Integrated Groupware: A
Case Study in a Higher Education Setting
Mizuho Iinuma, Takashi Matsuhashi, Tagiru Nakamura, and Hiroaki Chiyokura, Member, IACSIT
International
Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4, August 2014
351
DOI: 10.7763/IJIET.2014.V4.428
mediating interaction among participants in the process of
meaning making through a joint activity [11]. According to
Koschmann, collaboration intrinsically requires a mediating
tool to foster practices of meaning-making though joint
activity, therefore; technology can act as a medium which
support collaborative work.
Many studies exist today on CSCL. There are instances in
which scripted collaboration and group based learning are
applied in higher education in CSCL. For example, in one
study, well defined scripts are used to foster collaborative
activity to understand the process of collaborative learning in
CSCL contexts [7]. There are also studies that look at social
learning networks which occur in a mobile learning
environment as well as in distance learning [8]-[13]. Also,
there are recent studies that look at patterns in social
interaction for effective learning in a CSCL [14]. The
emphasis of such research is to understand the process of
meaning making when computer is used as the mediated
artifacts for collaborative activity. In the past, because CSCL
was relatively new, it often provided tools for collaboration
but it did not always provide an integrated environment for
the use of these tools [15]. With today`s technology as this
case study shows, it is possible to provide an integrated
learning environment for students to collaborate easily in
classrooms.
III. METHOD OF THE STUDY
In this case study, we used a groupware to enhance group
work activities in a higher education setting. The purpose of
this study is to conduct collaborative learning using ICT for
college students and to evaluate its usage. To facilitate
students` activities, we designed the platform so that it is
catered to individual profiling, classroom interaction and
group activities.
A. Content of the Curriculum
Fig. 1. Students working in a group.
The course is a prerequisite course called “Social Design:
Basic Seminar” offered to the 2nd year students enrolled in the
Department of Media Studies, Tokyo University of
Technology. The seminar consists of 9sessions and is 90
minutes per session. The objectives of the course were to
enhance global awareness, learn the current social issues and
to design solutions to the problems through collaborative
learning. There were total of 16 classes with approximately
30 students. Total of 480 students enrolled in the course. In
each class, the students were divided into eight groups. The
students were evaluated based on 6 group assignments and 3
individual assignments. Group assignment consisted of
creating group posters, power point slides, and presentation
files.
The classes were held in a computer equipped classroom.
Each group of students worked on a large desk with four
computers stationed on each desk. Fig. 1 shows a picture of
how the students worked in groups. This group is using
Google Earth to research on a given topic and is discussing
how to create a poster.
B. Groupware
For this study, we used Microsoft Sharepoint as a platform
for the class groupware. We prepared a web-server for the
platform, and created a login and password for 480 students
taking the course. Microsoft Sharepoint 2013 is supported by
cloud computing and therefore; we used this feature to our
advantage. For instance, Power Point Presentation files,
Word Document, and Excel documents can be edited on-line
without downloading the files to local computers. Using this
feature, we had students simultaneously create and co-edit
documents. We integrated necessary worksheets for every
student and all groups on to the system and created a
groupware catered to the classes.
For group work, students created PPT poster slides and
presentation documents in class using the computers.
Students would login to the groupware and open a common
PPT file with other group members. For example, the student
can add an image to the PPT slide while other group members
write a summary of research. Fig. 2 shows an example PPT
Poster slide students created using this co-editing feature.
The instructor can also look at the version history to check
which students participated in creating the file.
Fig. 2. PPT group worksheet.
The groupware can be used for class interaction. For
instance, in this study, using the co-editing feature, instructor
asked all class members, in this case, approximately 30
students to simultaneously co-write one Excel file. The
instructor asked questions and students wrote their answers
in one Excel file. The instructor then shared the file with the
class using a projector. This feature is similar to Twitter, or
Facebook, however has the merit of saving the content for
documentation purposes. Fig. 3 is a sample image of how
Microsoft Excel was used to promote class interaction.
We have found that by using Excel worksheet in this
fashion, the instructor can look at all the students` responses
simultaneously as the students write. This procedure allows
International
Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4, August 2014
352
students to read other students` comments as well. The
instructor can use the file as an interactive tool to start a
discussion with the class. This seems to have positively
influenced students` motivation to participate, for most of the
students decided to edit or add more sentences to the
response one wrote earlier, after the interaction has taken
place.
Fig. 3. Excel worksheet used for class interaction.
TABLE I: CONTENT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE
Q1 Have you used Microsoft Sh arepoint before?
Q2 I was able to use the class groupware easily of the first class.
Q3 I understood ho w to use the individual and group worksheet.
Q4 The class groupware was easy to use.
Q5 The class groupware was very useful.
Q6 Excel Workshe et activity was easy to use.
Q7 Excel Workshe et activity was useful for learning.
Q8 It was good that we used Excel Wowksheet activity in class.
Q9 It was good that we shared Excel Wowksheet activity in class.
Q10 PPT Group Workshe et was useful.
Q11 PPT Group Workshe et was useful for learning.
Q12 It was good that we used PPT Group Worksheet in using class groupware.
Q13 It was good that we shared PPT Group Worksheet in class.
Q14 I participated in class with interest in the content of the course.
Q15 I learne d something ne w in class.
Q16 I was able to participatein group activities witho ut any problems.
Q17 I learne d collaborative skills throu gh groupwork in this class.
Q18 I learne d something ne w through groupwork in this class.
Q19 I was able to use my leadership skill through groupwork in this class.
C. Evaluation
At the end of the last session, we conducted a survey to
evaluate the use of the groupware as well as the content of the
course. The evaluation was done using four point Likert-
scale. Each score corresponded as follows; 3 strongly agree,
2 agree, 1 do not agree, 0 disagree. Total average of 400
students answered the questionnaire. The questionnaire
consisted of ten questions. The questions asked about the
students` perceptions of the curriculum including technology
used in class. The questionnaire consisted of 19 questions
and one comment section. Table I shows the list of questions
that were asked in the questionnaire.
The questionnaire asked about the usefulness of the
groupware, group work activity using the groupware and
perception of the students toward collaborative learning.
IV. RESULT
The result of the questionnaire showed that overall, the
students answered positively to most of the questions asked.
Table II shows the average score, standard deviation and
number of students who answered the questions.
The result showed that students answered most positively
to Q15 “I learned something new in class” with average score
of 1.99 and Q9 “It was good that we shared Excel Worksheet
activity in class” with average score of 1.93. Also, Q6 “It was
good that we used Excel Worksheet activity in class” scored
1.8, a high score among other questions. Q17”I learned
collaborative skill through group work in this class” also
scored 1.86 which is one of the higher scores among the
questions.
TABLE III: CONTENT OF FREE WRITING COMMENTS
1. Positive comments of class content 10
2. Problem with PPT Group Worksheet 9
3. Poblem with Groupware login 7
4. Sugge stions to improve class content 6
5 Enjoyed groupwork 5
6. Enjoyed communication with Excel worksheet 5
7. Enjoyed the class 4
8 Others(one`s attituted toward class) 2
To tal 48
The result also showed that Q10”PPT Group Worksheet
was useful” scored lowest among the questions with 1.24.
Also Q19 “I was able to show some leadership through group
work in this class” scored low point of 1.39.
From the questionnaire, the result showed that classroom
activity using Excel Worksheet where all members of the
class co-write one Excel Worksheet simultaneously and
share the file using a projector was a very popular activity.
The questionnaire also showed that students had a perception
that their collaborative skill developed.
However, use of PPT Group worksheet scored lower than
expected. Also, the result showed that not all students felt
they were able to lead the group work.
Q20 was a free writing space for student comments. The
following comments are some examples of what the students
wrote. Table III shows the content of the free writing section.
The result shows that 48 students wrote comments of the
free writing section of the questionnaire. Out of 48 students,
International
Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4, August 2014
353
TABLE II: MEAN AND SD OF QUESTIONNAIRE
Average
(0,1,2 ,3)
Disagree,
Strongly
agree
SD N
Q1 0.49 0.8 6 401
Q2 1.75 0.6 5 402
Q3 1.85 0.6 5 401
Q4 1.46 0.7 7 402
Q5 1.71 0.6 7 403
Q6 1.8 0.69 403
Q7 1.81 0.6 1 402
Q8 1.87 0.6 402
Q9 1.93 0.6 3 401
Q10 1.24 0.8 6 401
Q11 1.65 0.6 9 400
Q12 1.63 0.7 6 398
Q13 1.76 0.6 6 402
Q14 1.74 0.6 8 403
Q15 1.99 0.6 8 401
Q16 1.8 0.71 401
Q17 1.86 0.6 9 402
Q18 1.8 0.68 398
Q19 1.39 0.8 2 384
ten students commented positively on class. However, nine
students commented that they had technical difficulty with
PPT Group worksheet. Most of them commented that they
were not able to co-edit the files. Also seven students
commented that they had initial problems with groupware
login.
We believe that technical problems was the cause of the
low score of 1.24 for Q10, which was “PPT Group
Worksheet was useful”.
V. CONCLUSION
In this case study, we used a groupware for class
interaction and group work. For the class interaction,
students wrote responses to questions shared on one Excel
file, which enabled students not only to write their comments
synchronously but to compare the responses with others,
allowing students to improve what they wrote. For the group
work, using the co-editing feature, group members were able
to edit a common PPT slide, allowing students to
simultaneously improve the quality of the files. In a common
group work, students would have to merge the files they
created individually before they create a final product;
however in this study, students created a common PPT from
the beginning. In the process, students could pay attention to
detail of other members` work as well as check one`s work
progress. However, adequate scaffolding is still needed for
students to collaborate successfully and to come up with high
quality end products. This could be done by instructors`
guidance, but the alternative solution to this problem using
technology may be to prepare certain sets of guidelines
available for students to follow and check as they collaborate.
Another solution maybe to have students actively assess
other students` products so that they become aware of high
quality work. This case study shows that with the use of
carefully planned and designed groupware, a common
college seminar could be transformed into a highly
interactive and collaborative environment. Further research
is needed to design effective scaffolding solution; both
human and technological, and be provided to all students in
such contexts.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank Akito Nakano and Kimihiko Ando
for their help in teaching and conducting questionnaire in
“Basic Seminar: Social Design” offered at Tokyo University
of Technology.
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Mizuho Iinuma was born in Tokyo, Japan. She
earned her doctoral degree in international
educational development from Teachers College,
Columbia University, New York, NY U.S.A in
2004. Her area of specialization is international
educational development and educational
technology.
Her past work experiences include adjunct
professor at Queens College, City University of New
York, Visiting Lecturer at Department of Environmental Information, Keio
University. She is currently Associate Professor at Department of Media
Science, Tokyo University of Technology located in Tokyo, Japan. Her
recent works include “Digital Content Creation and Collaborative Learning
in a Large Class Setting”(Computer and Education CIEC, 2012). Her current
interest is in media and information literacy, international education, and
collaborative learning.
Dr. Iinuma is a member of the Japan Association for International
Education, Japan Society for Educational Technology, among others. She
has earned the 74th Conference Award from Information Processing Society
of Japan..
Takashi Matsuhashi is a Ph.D who was born in
Ibaraki, Japan and earned his doctoral degree in
Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio
University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan in 2012. His
area of specialization is sports management and
social innovation.
His past work experience include research
associate at Graduate School of Media and
Governance, Keio University, and part-time lecturer
at Department of Policy Management. He is currently an assistant professor
at Department of Media Science, Tokyo University of Technology located in
Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Matsuhashi is a member of the Japan Society of Management for
Physical Education and Sports, Japan Society of sports Industry, among
others. He has earned the annual research Award from Japan Society of
sports Industry in 2007 and Japan Society of Management for Physical
Education and Sports in 2013.
International
Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4, August 2014
354
[5] P. J. Gumport and M. Chun, “Technology and higher education:
Op-portunities and challenges for the new era,”Stanford University,
International
Journal of Information and Education Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4, August 2014
355
Tagiru Nakamura was born in Nagoya, Japan. He
earned his master’s degree from Graduate School of
Media and Governance, Keio University, Fujisawa,
Kanagawa. His area of specialization is in cognitive
psychology and user experience design.
His past work experience includes an assistant
professor at Department of Media Science, Tokyo
University of Technology. He is currently a lecturer at
School of Media Science, Tokyo University of
Technology located in Tokyo, Japan; and at Faculty of Environment and
Information Studies, Keio University located in Kanagawa, Japan. His recent
works include “The mechanism of sensing interestingness in metaphorical
expressions” (The Japanese journal of psychology, 80(1): 1-8, 2009).
Professor Nakamura`s current interest is in media and information literacy,
user experience design, and technology for collaborative learning. He is a
member of the Japanese Cognitive Science Society, the Japanese
Psychological Association, among others.
Hiroaki Chiyokura is a Ph.D. He was born in Tokyo,
Japan and earned his Ph.D from Tokyo University in
1984. His specialization is 3D computer graphics, and
educational technology.
His past work experiences include professor at
Department of Environmental Information, Keio
University. He is also the founder of Lattice
Technology Inc.
Dr. Chiyokura is currently professor at Department
of Media Science, Tokyo University of Technology located in Tokyo, Japan.
His work includes Solid Modeling with Database (Addison-Wesley, 1988),
3DCAD: Principles and Applications (Springer, 1993). His current interest is
in 3D Documentation, social application of computer graphics, and
e-learning. Dr. Chiyokura has earned the Intellectual Property Award 2006,
Intellectual Property Center Keio University.
