Abstract
- This study investigates faculty and student perspectives on online collaborative work in highereducation. Data were collected from 76 faculty and 148 students at a southeastern U.S.university. Findings reveal that faculty primarily utilize small groups (2-4 members) formedthrough random assignment or instructor selection. Common support strategies includeinformational guidance and frequent interactions. While faculty perceive numerous benefits ofonline collaboration, students express lower levels of agreement, particularly regarding increasedconfidence and relationship building. Both faculty and students identify scheduling conflicts,workload balance, and technical issues as significant challenges. The study highlights the needfor further research to bridge the gap between faculty and student perspectives to optimize theeffectiveness of online collaborative learning experiences.