Examining the role of human and technological factors for interactive online collaborative learning

With the increasing usage of digital technologies, online collaborative learning is becoming popular in institutions. However, comprehensive factors (e.g. technological factors, collaboration factors and psychological factors) affecting the effectiveness of online collaborative learning are understudied. Thus, both the online collaboration learning theory and technology acceptance model were employed to propose a conceptual framework to explain the effectiveness of online collaborative learning on student learning outcomes. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a reliable online platform in China. We have collected 368 valid responses from Sojump (http://www.sojump.com) using judgmental sampling method. Participants from China who had used online collaborative tools for learning in the past three months were invited to complete an online survey, and data were analyzed by using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling. The results revealed that technological factors (i.e. perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) predict positive attitudes towards using technology. In addition, collaborative factors (i.e. collaboration with peers and teacher-student interactions) enable students to be emotionally engaged. When psychological factors (i.e. emotional engagement and attitudes) are in place, better student learning outcomes can be achieved. The theoretical contribution of this study includes extending the theoretical framework of technology acceptance model to examine factors affecting student learning outcomes by integrating online collaborative learning theory. The study also offers practical implications to institutes for promoting online collaborative learning to achieve greater academic success by ensuring technology support, fostering teacher-student interactions, encouraging peer collaborations and emotional engagement, as well as developing a positive attitude towards students.