Month: April 2026

The Design and Effectiveness of Online Collaborative Work

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Tania Pacheco, graduate student University of St. Francis, MS Talent Development program.

Online learning has become a commonplace method of instruction due, in part, with the onset of the pandemic. This article examines how online collaborative learning is designed for the higher education environment and how specific design choices influence its effectiveness. Using a survey of online learners, the study invited students to share their experiences with the design of online group work in relation to group size, formation methods, collaboration type, and duration, along with their relationship to teaching and social presence. Results showed that collaborative work predominately occurs within small, randomly assigned groups focused on discussions, assignments, or peer reviews for varying lengths of time. While many students perceived online collaborative work as beneficial for learning and engagement, others reported neutral or mixed experiences due to coordination and participation challenges. Higher levels of social and teaching presence were associated with allowing students to self-select their groups and incorporating peer review activities. Overall, the study emphasizes that online learners value being able to provide input into the process of collaborative work in their online courses and that this purposeful, learner-centered design is critical for effective online collaborative work.

This article is an excellent resource for trainers, higher education instructors, and instructional designers that are responsible for creating online learning environments and wish to foster a positive e-learning experience. Effective instructional methods in online education differ from methods that are effective in other learning environments due to the lack of personal connection and face-to-face interaction. The study’s findings suggest that an instructor’s level of understanding of their student’s needs and how the instructional strategy being used relates to various learners’ requirements, enabling them to develop more effective learning experiences. Using the results of the study as a structural framework for integrating collaborative activities in an online environment would serve as a beneficial tool to inspire active participant engagement and to generate consistent feedback for future improvements to the learning experience.

Reference:

Oyarzun, B., Kim, S., Maxwell, D. et al. (2025). The design and effectiveness of online collaborative work. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-025-09472-2

COI Framework Shift to Self-Organized Discovery

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This post is provided by guest blogger, Rachel Dobrich Ruffetti, a graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, working towards the Talent Development Certificate.

The article, “A Distributed Perspective to the Community-of-Inquiry Framework for Distance Education” by Piera Biccard (2025), revises the original Community-of-Inquiry (COI) framework by strengthening its underlying structure. The original framework includes teaching, social, and cognitive presence, which support well-organized online discussions, meaningful connections among online learners, and critical thinking in digital environments. Biccard emphasizes the importance of incorporating learners more directly into this model. The author advocates for a distributed approach to learning, where responsibility is shared across people, content, and tools through intentional technology integration. Students should transition from passive recipients to active contributors, bringing their unique skills and knowledge to the developing learning community. Technological tools play a critical role in this shift, fostering self-organized discovery and deeper engagement in online settings.  

This peer-reviewed study offers valuable insight for course designers and instructors aiming to enhance online learning environments. Biccard (2025) effectively integrates literature and research to expand the original COI model, illustrating how digital tools can promote learner autonomy, collaboration, and engagement. By emphasizing distributed teaching and learner agency, the article shifts technology from a supplemental to a core feature of intentional design. Instructors can leverage the interaction among participants, content, and tools to cultivate meaningful teaching, social, and cognitive presences. This resource will help educators create robust, student-centered learning experiences that encourage students to interact, share knowledge, and listen to other perspectives.

Reference  

Biccard, P. (2025). A distributed perspective to the community-of-inquiry framework for distance education. Open Learning, 40(2), 136–151. https://research-ebsco-com.ezproxy.stfrancis.edu/linkprocessor/plink?id=938137ea-9c73-35c0-a977-a1c602b4d145  

Power of AI for Teachers

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This post is provided to you by guest blogger, Adam Gurke, graduate student at University of St. Francis, Learning and Development Manager certificate student.

The article discusses how AI needs to be used in classrooms for teachers and students to prepare students for careers in the future. AI in classrooms is increasing for students, but also teachers. Currently, there are many AI tools geared towards teachers to support students and their learning. “If we want our students to be ready for their future careers, we must start teaching them about AI” (Poth, 2025). This source provides different AI tools for schools to use with their students such as SchoolAI, MagicSchool AI, and Eduaide to name a few. 

This source can be utilized by educators and school districts to learn about the various options for AI in education. AI helps teachers with elearning and lesson planning for teachers. This source provides examples for using AI in the classroom and the benefits for AI for students and teachers. This source also provides information for meeting the needs of all learners including language language learners.

References

Poth, R. D. (2025, June 10). AI resources for teachers. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/ai-resources-teachers?utm_source