An empirical online collaborative learning system with grid portal technology

A collaborative learning environment allows building software or digital contents and educational authoring activities namely, creating, editing and sharing artifacts like websites, interactive hypermedia, micro-worlds, and simulations. Uneven task distribution however, is commonly associated with conventional collaborative learning. This study therefore was conducted to develop an efficient authoring infrastructure dealing with online collaborative tools and collaborative authoring environment based on grid portal technology to address the limitations and problems associated with conventional approach. The evaluation process was carried out to obtain students engagement and involvement in collaborative environment activities. The study sample consisted of 36 undergraduate students enrolled in SPM 2332 (Authoring Language) course. Data was gathered using qualitative approach through e-mail interview and blog discussions as a link in UTM Grid Portal. This Grid Portal was developed for students of University Technology Malaysia’s Faculty of Education to accomplish their courseware development project. The study was able to identify the critical elements in designing the Grid Portal. These were then incorporated in the resulting online collaborative learning system with Grid Portal.