Modeling Collaborative Intentions And Behavior In Digital Environments: The Case Of A Massive Open Online Course (Mooc)

Modern management education promotes active learning and peer interaction through group work, touting it as a critical aspect of the learning process. Given the rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), it is imperative to comprehend how collaboration can be fostered in such Online Learning Environments (OLEs). Synthesizing theories on individual cognition and collective interaction, we advance separate research models for pre- and post-intention that differentiate between the antecedents affecting one's intention to collaborate in OLEs and the consequences arising from the manifestation of such collaborative intention. Hypothesized relationships were subsequently validated with survey data collected from a MOOC course. Analytical results reveal that participants' attitude and intention toward collaboration at the outset of the course are predicted by collaborative outcome expectancy and communal support expectancy, which in turn are precipitated on their perceived ability to work in groups (collaborative process efficacy) and peer influence (communal influence) respectively. Additionally, we uncover that collaborative intention influences course participants' inclination to engage in group work and its three ensuing pedagogical outcomes: a higher rate of retention for course participants, increased production of novel ideas, and an enhanced learning experience. By elucidating the individual and communal factors shaping one's engagement in collaborative processes, findings from this study attest to the impact of collaboration on learning and behavior within online learning environments.