Online Collaborative Learning and Leadership Development

Introduction

Learner interactions in the traditional classroom setting fail to develop leadership skills (Felser, 2005). Interactions occur in four ways: 1) between the student and the instructor; 2) collaborative interaction of the students; 3) interactions with the curriculum; and 4) with technology in the online setting (Jung, Choi, Lim, & Leem, 2002). Whether or not these interactions occur effectively can affect the success of the online learning process. Successful interactions facilitate the fostering of advanced learner proficiency in analyzing information and creating innovative means of interpretation. This process augments critical thinking skills that cultivate leadership potential (Billings & Kowalski, 2005).

Many of the pioneers of the Internet and human-computer interaction foresaw the need to employ the Internet as a means of distance education. Just as once the correspondence course represented the meaning of distance education, the Web will become the major source of distance education for the 21^st Century. Over 80% of all classrooms and 98% of all libraries in the United States are now linked to the Internet and therefore, the world (Long & Long, 2004).

The next generation of knowledge transfer occurs through a constructivist approach that manages the process through experiential learning, which focuses on collaborative interaction of the learners and reflection on the process in order to develop the desired learning (Beckett, 2001). This approach also develops higher-order thinking skills that are linked to leadership development (Billings & Kowalski, 2005). Since the public community college offers over 90% of all distance-education courses and now represents over 48% of enrollments in distance education across academic institutions (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2004), the institution must align the purpose of distance education and education in general. This alignment, along with adequate student supports offered to facilitate the success of online learners, becomes the focus of understanding for administrators and faculty alike.

Successful collaborative online interactions facilitate the fostering of advanced learner proficiency in analyzing information and creating innovative means of interpretation (Jung et al., 2002; Moore, 1972). This process augments critical thinking skills that cultivate leadership potential (Billings & Kowalski, 2005). When the individual utilizes his or her learning style effectively, a greater level of retention of information is attained (Cohen, 2001). Interaction between online learners builds capacity, which Buck (2003) found increases internal and external leadership skills. Development of leadership skills takes place through the interactions of the online learners who work collaboratively towards a common goal (Chen, 2005). Experience in developing leadership on the part of the faculty member can also increase the capability of the learner to find inspiration in the online learning context (Howell, Saba, Lindsay, & Williams, 2004).

The increase in the use of online educational programming for higher-education coursework (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2004) necessitates the need for examining the online collaborative interactional process as it applies to leadership development. Research into online collaborative learning interactions have highlighted the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, higher retention, capacity, goal setting, interpretation, analysis, and evaluative processes, which are all part of the successful leader’s competencies (Buck, 2003; Burbach, Matkin, & Fritz, 2004; Chen, 2005; Kouzes & Posner, 2002; Risher & Stopper, 2003).