Exploration of Factors in the Early Collaboration Phase Affecting Virtual Groups’ Overall Collaborative Learning Experiences

Collaboration skills have become a critical competency for health care providers. This study aims to understand how individual student characteristics and group process in the early phase of group development are associated with students’ perception of their overall collaborative learning experience. The study was conducted in two consecutive semesters with a total of 86 health sciences undergraduate students participating. The results show that quality communication in the beginning phase of group development and health-care work experiences are two major factors associated with students’ perception of overall collaborative learning. The findings confirm the importance of the initial phase of collaboration. Faculty should deliberately design collaborative learning experiences that offer orientation in enhancing the interactions among group members and allow quality communication to proliferate.

协作技能已成为医疗服务提供者的一项关键能力。本研究旨在了解在小组发展初期，个体学生的特征以及小组过程如何与学生对其整体协作学习体验的感知相关联。该研究在连续两个学期进行，共有86名健康科学专业的本科生参与。结果表明，小组发展初期的高质量沟通以及医疗保健工作经验是与学生对整体协作学习的感知相关的两个主要因素。研究结果证实了协作初期阶段的重要性。教师应精心设计协作学习体验，为加强小组成员之间的互动提供指导，并使高质量的沟通得以蓬勃发展。