Web 2.0 Tools and the Development of Cooperative Learning and Higher Order Thinking in the Saudi Higher Education Institutions

In Saudi universities, teaching is mostly conducted based on a teacher-centered method, which deprives students of the opportunity to communicate with their instructors or create their own group. This situation, in turn, is believed to affect the students' learning characteristics toward the course. We examined the potential of Web 2.0 tools in promoting students' reflective thinking, knowledge sharing, interaction, and flexibility and its effect on students' characteristics and instructor's characteristics in learning. It also examines the effect of Web 2.0 on the development of students' higher-order thinking skills and cooperative learning. A total of 207 cleaned questionnaires were returned from 220 respondents. The result showed that factors related to reflective thinking, knowledge sharing, interactivity, flexibility positively affected the factors of students' and instructor's characteristics, and such positive effect, in turn, induced a positive effect on the factors related to students' cooperative learning and higher-order thinking. Cooperative learning factors also influenced the development of students' higher-order thinking. Web 2.0 tools has the potential to play a key role in the development of higher order thinking in King Saud University as they allow them to interact, reflect and provide quality responses.

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