What Influences the Students' Learning Experience? The Impact of Peer Learning in an Online Environment

This poster reports on some key research findings of a research-in-progress project investigating what factors influence the students' learning experience while they study in an online environment. Online peer learning activities combined with current technology are expected to improve students' learning experience. The students were asked to respond to two online surveys (beginning and end of semester) and attend virtual focus groups. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the teaching team. The questions raised were in the areas of relevance, reflection, interaction, teacher support, peer support, making sense, and course technology. This research utilizes a mixed method (quantitative & qualitative) data collection and data analysis. Some key research findings from the research to date show that the most appropriate technology-supported tools used by teaching team influence on improving students' learning experience based on level of interaction. Also, frequency of communication between students is not an indicator of importance for improving students' learning experience. Making sense of message, deeper perception of ideas or contribution, and ideas explanation should be considered.