Online Collaborative Assignments: Common Experiences on Learning and Social Aspects Expressed in Student Meta-Reflections

Online collaborative assignments (OCAs) were used between three organic chemistry classrooms, one in Canada and two in the United States, in order to examine the impact on student’s learning while utilizing multi- modal communication. The OCAs are designed to help students navigate the well-known challenges of organic chemistry by improving content comprehension and communication skills. The goal of this study is to use the qualitative research method known as thematic analysis in order to examine the final student meta-reflections. Through thematic analysis, the most common themes and patterns expressed in the reflections will be grouped and coded to better interpret the students’ experiences. These common themes will be important in recognizing the students’ overall understanding of organic chemistry after the completion of the OCAs. From these meta-reflections we are able to better understand how students not only learn organic chemistry but also how they develop other social skills through online collaboration.