Web 2.0 and Student Engagement

A large body of literature highlights the role of ICT, especially the Web 2.0 technologies in enhancing student learning and engagement (e.g., Carter, 2008;

Chandra & Chalmers, 2010; Franceschi, Lee, & Hinds, 2008; Robinson & Hullinger, 2008; Salaber, 2014; Suttle, 2010). Indeed, researchers have indicated that technologies can provide many opportunities for facilitating interactive communication, and supporting collaboration, as well as for cognitive and non cognitive skills development (e.g., Carter, 2008; Collins & Halverson, 2010;

Franceschi et al., 2008; Salaber, 2014). Current literature suggests that the more

students engage with learning, the more they perform and learn about it (e.g., Salaber, 2014; Sanders, 2013; Suttle, 2010). The increasing popularity of online learning and the integration of new technologies into education require individual students’ higher engagement in learning (Chen et al., 2010; Franceschi, et al., 2008). This is not only because, as Salaber (2014) reported, personal growth and knowledge acquisition relies heavily upon engagement, but also because, as Kuh, Kinzie, Cruce, Shoup, and Gonyea (2006) argued, student engagement represents both the time and energy students invest in educationally purposeful activities and the effort devoted to applying effective educational practices in online learning environments. This means that to improve their engagement, students should dedicate a certain level of commitment and time to participating in relevant tasks while utilising the useful learning techniques.

A recent study conducted by Salaber (2014) examined the way in which postgraduate students' collaborative learning, engagement, and participation was influenced by wiki-based activities. Using qualitative and quantitative data, the findings showed that collaboration and engagement increased when wiki activities were offered. Salaber (2014) concluded that the use of Web 2.0 technologies enhanced the learning environment by greatly improving students' engagement. Another study that supported the view that Web 2.0 technologies could enhance the engagement of students was by Chou and Chen (2008). They conducted an experimental study at a university in southern Taiwan on the impact of using Web 2.0 tools on students' collaborative learning and engagement. Fifty-five college students majoring in information technology and management participated in the study, and were randomly divided into 11 groups in order to complete a two-weeks of wiki activities in a programming language course. The researchers used a qualitative research approach to explore students' behaviour through wiki pages, as well as a questionnaire survey to

investigate students' perceptions of using the wiki platform. The results showed that the use of the wiki technology motivated students to engage in collaborative learning and enhanced their learning. Students felt that the wiki activity facilitated their group work in ways that demonstrated their engagement in the learning project. It is apparent from such evidence that as a form of engagement that helps motivate students in the learning process, the Web 2.0 tools can be viewed as having a positive impact on students learning and engagement in higher education.

On the other hand, Carter's (2008) work took a slightly different focus and assessed the engagement of students in a sports history course when using wikis and blogs. The results showed that the majority of the participants were engaged in the project, and learning had occurred over the length of the project. However, 24% were not engaged in the project, and some participants indicated that the Web 2.0 technologies used in the study were not effective, preferring the traditional classroom lecture format. There were technical issues reported in the study, such as problems with Internet access and navigation issues, and some students were not familiar with Web 2.0 technologies, which represented a significant challenge experienced by some participants during implementation of the project. These issues could be possible factors that influenced students’ engagement and perceptions about the effectiveness of the Web 2.0 technologies used in this study. Carter's (2008) study emphasised that the group project using Web 2.0 technologies led to positive results: “the participants consistently demonstrated constructivist learning activities through interaction with other leaners, collaborative teamwork and the sharing of multiple perspectives as they completed the project” (p.15). Carter’s (2008) study also implies that Web 2.0 technologies should be viewed as serious and potential learning tools for promoting students’ learning and engagement, which underlines the importance of this type of

study. Similarly, Chou and Chen (2008) also argued that the students expressed discomfort in working with students with whom they had not previously worked. They also indicate that the use of social learning tools may have impacted not only by the actual discourse, but also by the previous interactions of the students and their comfort with each other.

There are more studies that show the educational concerns of using SLTs.

Cole’s (2009) study aimed to determine the impact of wikis on student engagement with 75 students enrolled in an undergraduate course in information systems in the United Kingdom and found that after five weeks into the course, none of the students had posted anything to the course wiki. The students in the course provided a variety of reasons, including a lack of time due to commitments to other courses, concerns about the ease of use of the wiki, and a lack of self-confidence about posting content on the wikis. Moreover, it is important to note that uploading content to the wikis was not part of the course requirements, which further suggests that students were less likely to use wikis when it was not required. Neumann and Hood (2009) evaluated the use of a wiki to promote student engagement and learning of report-writing skills in a first-year undergraduate course in psychology research at an Australian University.

The students in the class were assigned to two primary groups; the first group completed their projects by writing individual reports while the second group completed their practice reports as a group using a wiki to allow for online collaboration and information sharing. The researchers noted that the students in the group that used the wiki perceived higher level of engagement than those students who wrote individual practice reports. However, the researchers also noted that only two of the 22 subgroups that used the wiki in the course completed the practice report. The other 20 subgroups that used the wiki did not complete all of the required components

of the practice reports. Neuman and Hood (2009) did not explain why such phenomenon occurred, but suggested that if SLTs are to be used in the instructional process, the teacher needs to know the perceived level of engagement that takes place with these tools, otherwise the methods used in the instructional process cannot truly be deemed to be related to the educational outcomes that are observed. Chou and Chen (2008) found that the students expressed discomfort when working with students with whom they had not previously worked. They also indicated that the use of SLTs may have been impacted not only by the actual discourse, but also by the previous interactions of the students and their comfort with each other. These can be mitigating factors in such studies.

There are some studies that have acknowledged that Web 2.0 applications may have a negative impact on students' learning in higher education. One study conducted by Cann, Calvert, Masse, & Moffat (2006) found that students did not want to take part in Web 2.0 applications-based activities because of their unfamiliarity with the tools for learning. Similarly, Zurita (2006) found that in Web 2.0-based learning, students found it difficult to gauge their own level of expectation in terms of their development. Also it was suggested that the teacher's difficulties and their lack of ability to manage the group work might resulted in the students’ lack of engagement and motivation. As Coles (2009) pointed out, educators need to remember that improved access to technology has not developed critical skills for information processing, sometimes termed information literacy. Despite an increase in the availability of materials in the use of technology in higher education, there remains a gap between the achieved and desirable levels of engagement, of critical skill and of understanding for the ethical and legal issues with their use (Coles, 2009). Thus, it is possible to argue that the use of Web 2.0 applications is not necessarily a guaranteed

success in terms of developing the teaching and learning process, with many participants in these two studies able to point out key weaknesses in using them as a base for their learning.

Furthermore, the level of student engagement might be a function, at least partially, of whether the students believe that that the collaboration interferes with personal time and space. For example, Ivala and Gachago (2012) noted that some of the students in a higher education class in which the teacher used Facebook for collaboration believed that their personal online spaces were being invaded by their academic activities. Some of the students indicated that they believed Facebook was a private space and should not be used for academic collaboration. This also seems to be an issue of the teacher choosing the correct or best Web 2.0 technology based on the nature of the class and the students in that class. Some Web 2.0 technologies may simply be better suited for the type of collaboration and learning that teachers and students desire (Junco, Heibergert & Loken, 2011).

However, the argument might also be made that some students, whether because of the fear of interaction, a lack of comfort with a particular Web 2.0 technology, or simply a perceived lack of time, may not effectively engage in discussion with other students when using any wiki, blog, or other CSCL tool (Carroll, Diaz, Meiklejohn, Newcomb, & Adkins, 2013; Barczyk & Duncan, 2013). Indeed, it may be impossible to achieve an effective engagement from all students in the Web 2.0 environment, at least partly because students can have different preferences for the Web 2.0 technology that they believe is best suited to the academic environment. In addition, even in the internet-connected environment in which large numbers of younger people live in the modern era, some students may simply believe that online collaboration is a time-consuming activity for which they do not have the time.

The prior reviewed studies provide evidence that it is worth considering whether student engagement and educational outcomes are directly correlated to the use of SLTs in higher education. The use of SLTs may not result in achieving higher levels of educational outcomes, and students who do not engage with the SLTs may still have positive educational outcomes. Overall, the research regarding SLTs indicates that they are not successful simply when they are made available to students in the higher education environment. It can be said that even with the assumption that younger people enjoy and are comfortable with technology, the reality may be that students are not comfortable or simply do not have the motivation to integrate these tools into their normal educational interactions. Moreover, using SLTs may not improve learning or grades significantly in higher education.

Overall, the underlying pedagogical rationale for online collaborative learning is that it promotes student engagement and is considered one of the key factors for learning and personal development. While this has always been an important topic, it is particularly significant nowadays due to the increasing popularity of online learning and the integration of new technologies in education (Franceschi, et al., 2008). The rapid update of technology by educational institutions opens doors for innovative approaches to teaching and learning (Sanders, 2013). Such technologies have the potential to change the way students learn because they can engage with learning activities at a time and place of their choosing. However, it is unclear whether such an outcome is realistically achieved all the time. The differences in results about the educational outcomes in the use of online learning tools could be part of the larger concern about the extent to which students engage in their learning using these tools.

Research suggests that there is a need for greater understanding in terms of how

learners engage in online environments (Collins & Deek, 2014; Holmes, 2014; Li &

Wang, 2012; Salaber, 2014; Suttle; 2010).

As stated in the previous section, while using SLTs is of growing interest in Saudi Arabia, there is little research on using SLTs, particularly in how SLTs might be used to facilitate student engagement in the Saudi Arabian context. Thus investigating and ascertaining the extent to which students in Saudi Arabia believed that they engaged in online learning using SLTs was an important aim of this study.

2.2.5 Knowledge construction within computer-supported collaborative