UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT’S PERCEPTION OF COLLABORATIVE GROUP LEARNING (CGL) IN UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS

Abstract

The effectiveness of collaborative group work programs in the development of collaboration abilities among learners at educational institutions is still up for debate, given the abundance of research on collaborative group learning (CGL) and the ability to improve student participation and learning. Previous research has tended to gauge the effectiveness of collaboration and group projects based on test scores, which appears to be incorrect as more researchers concentrate on the views of students as a more sensible way to gauge the effectiveness of group projects. The paper will give the findings of a study conducted in Pakistan that sought to analyze the perception of students towards technology enhanced group work assessment in as far as student learning outcome is concerned i.e. the skills of teamwork and self-evaluation judgement. The initial half of the year 2020 was rocked due to an unforeseen event, which was the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, because all students had to learn online, it unavoidably had an impact on the method of instruction and learning in a variety of ways, including their experience with this collaborative group work assignment. According to the findings of the qualitative inductive research methods, group work is well rated by students in a variety of aspects; but it is not without challenges, such as a global epidemic and its impacts on online learning, separation, and the difficult nature of group work. The context of the cooperative team action in the online setting, this unanticipated event and its consequences for teaching learning had produced creative findings.

The findings can guide the subsequent advancement and incorporation of collaborative work in groups in the realms of higher education, particularly in a virtual course.