Talking teams: Increased equity in participation in online compared to face-to-face team discussions

Abstract

The use of teams in undergraduate engineering is commonplace, but some students are disadvantaged in face-to-face team conversations. In this study, the effectiveness of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) via Google Drawing tool with synchronous chat is considered as a way of increasing the opportunity for students to contribute to team meetings. The results suggest that teamwork in the online context is much less imbalanced, with far fewer students contributing at much less than expected levels. Pedagogical implications are discussed.