Online Collaborative Learning Using Microsoft Teams in Higher Education Amid COVID-19

Abstract

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most universities needed to move to online teaching and learning, in some cases with very limited knowledge or experience in running online programmes. Engaging students online has become an imminent challenge that universities and academics are still trying to address. This paper reports on the findings from the experience of making the transition from an established collaborative learning activity delivered in a face-to-face environment to online collaborative learning supported by Microsoft Teams. Supported by an action research methodology, the paper evaluates this experience by comparing the outcomes of students' learning in the previous face-to-face and the online activities and the suitability of Microsoft Teams as a learning environment for collaborative learning for a postgraduate project management module. This research contributes to the growing knowledge of technology-enhanced learning by shedding light on how Microsoft Teams can support active and online collaborative learning in Higher Education.