Through the INCLD network, students taking organic chemistry from two universities in the United States and one in Canada completed six online collaborative assignments (OCAs). Problem-solving occured via video chat with an international partner. Students were responsible for setting up meeting times with their partners and preparing for the assignment with pre-meeting tasks and questions (each partner was given half of the questions to prepare). While meeting over video chat, the students would exchange verbal descriptions of the assignment and their partner would use these to generate text or symbolic representations. Following each of the six assignments, students were asked to complete a unique personal reflection assignment as well as a meta-reflection at the end of the course. These reflections required the students to consider what they were learning through the assignments.The reflection following the final assignment asked the students to write a metaphor for online collaborative learning. Narrative analysis of the student metaphors will be shared with implications for individual student learning and growth. This analysis will categorize the varied journeys that students report through metaphor. The metaphors reflect student challenges and triumphs and show growth in valuing and understanding of collaborative learning practices as well as growth in chemistry understanding. We will discuss the types of responses with exemplary student metaphors.

Student authored metaphors of online collaborative learning: Is it a platypus or rivers merging?

2019 Fall National Meeting

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