A Study of Undergraduates' Perceptions on the Synchronous Use of Online Collaborative Learning Tools in a Face-to-face Classroom

This study aims to investigate whether the synchronous use of online collaborative learning tools (OCLT) in a face-to-face classroom affects the participation and interest levels of undergraduates enrolled in a liberal arts course and to find out if gender differences affect the students’ perceptions on the use of the tools. The participants of this study were 242 students, including 143 females and 99 males, and their average age was 21.1 years. The 128 students in the control group and 114 in the experimental group took the same course in a different semester, and the latter group used the OCLT when participating in class activities. Google Forms was used to conduct the Participation Survey (PS) and the Instructional Activities Interest Survey (IAIS). The results of the independent t-test for mean difference and the chi-squire test for frequency distribution showed that the mean differences between the two groups were statistically significant in PS and IAIS. Also, the perceptions of the experimental group were more positive than those of the control group. The analyses revealed no significant differences between the perceptions of the students in regards to their gender. The results also found that the type of OCLT could affect the students' participation level. Discussions on the findings are presented, and limitations are discussed for further research.