“Houston, We Have a Problem!” Homogeneous Problem Perception, and Immediacy and Intensity of Strategy Use in Online Collaborative Learning

Abstract

Under socially distant circumstances, university students frequently self-organize to collectively prepare for exams online through video chat. To learn effectively, emerging challenges need to be regulated successfully. This regulation is supposed to work best when problems are perceived homogeneously in the group, and when regulation strategies which immediately solve the problem are chosen and executed with sufficient intensity. We investigated what problems occur during collaborative online learning and how these are regulated by N=222 university students in 106 groups. We found that overall problem prevalence was low. Multilevel-modeling indicated that homogeneous problem perception—contrary to immediate and intensive strategy use—predicted subjective learning success, while objective learning success was not associated. Thus, in well-structured learning contexts, knowing what the problem is seems to be more important than knowing the best possible reaction to the problem. Students might be trained in problem perception in order to increase regulation competency.