Manajemen | Fakultas Ekonomi Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji joeb.80.2.110-118
Journal of Education for Business
ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Student Perceptions of Collaborative Learning in
Operations Management Classes
Hulya Julie Yazici
To cite this article: Hulya Julie Yazici (2004) Student Perceptions of Collaborative Learning
in Operations Management Classes, Journal of Education for Business, 80:2, 110-118, DOI:
10.3200/JOEB.80.2.110-118
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.80.2.110-118
Published online: 07 Aug 2010.
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Student Perceptions of
Collaborative Learning in
Operations Management Classes
HULYA JULIE YAZICI
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin
O
perations management (OM) consists of a wide spectrum of quantitative as well as qualitative concepts and
methods that can significantly improve
how businesses perform. In most business curricula, OM is a required course
offered to students with different majors
and with a diverse range of quantitative
skills. For many, despite the mathematics
or statistics prerequisites, the quantitative
aspect of the course can be troublesome
(Mukherjee, 2002; Peters, Kethley, &
Bullington, 2002). Also, understanding
the operating system can be challenging.
Students may not have developed the
critical-thinking and communication
skills necessary to analyze and synthesize
complex business problems, generate
viable solutions, act independently, and
communicate effectively with their peers
(Gardner & Korth, 1998).
As students benefit most when working in stable and structured teams, the
need for designing a course for collaborative and active learning practices is
crucial (Bacon, Stewart, & Silver, 1999;
Bolton, 1999; King, 1992; Koppenhaver
& Shrader, 2003; Siciliano, 2001). Students reported a greater satisfaction
when provided with additional teambuilding training and an instructor who
played the role of team coach in the
classroom (Bolton). Therefore, I sought
to answer several questions: Which collaborative activities influence learning
110
Journal of Education for Business
ABSTRACT. Given today’s global
work environment, business education
should prepare learners not only for
technical excellence but also for effective collaboration. In this article, the
author describes how collaborative
activities—ranging from exams to
projects and role playing—enhance
the understanding of operations management (OM). The author found that
collaborative learning improved
undergraduate business students’
understanding of quantitative OM
methods, developed their strategicthinking skills, and enhanced their
confidence in their critical-thinking
and implementation skills. The exercises also increased students’ comfort
level in communicating and working
with their peers and enhanced their
independent learning skills.
and team-building skills? How can
these tools be administrated? What are
the students’ perceptions about collaborative activities for learning operations
management? For this study, I postulated that collaborative learning (CL)
would facilitate the learning of OM
techniques and concepts. Furthermore,
as CL lends itself to sharing and integrating with others, I assumed it would
enhance communication and teambuilding skills among learners.
Collaboration in Business and
Collaborative Learning
Self-directed work teams are seen as
an important mechanism for dealing with
today’s complex and rapidly changing
business environment. As global teams
emerge to adapt quickly to competitive
changes, companies depend heavily on
collaborative work environments. Teamoriented work environments provide
opportunities for employees to learn
from colleagues with expertise and to
help one another through working
together, sharing information, and
watching out for one another (Janz,
1999; Mikkelsen & Gronhaug, 2000).
When they are effective, the work groups
that form in such environments are characterized by cooperative learning or the
“collective mind” (Weick & Roberts,
1993). Cooperation, coordination, and
collective approaches to work are all
desirable characteristics of knowledge
creation, sharing, and the overall learning
process (Bixler, 2002; Gardner & Korth,
1998; Hult, Hurley, Giunipero, &
Nichols, 2000; Janz, 1999; Janz &
Prasarnphanich, 2003).
Collaborative or cooperative learning
(CL) is the instructional use of small
groups or teams in which peer interaction plays a key role in learning. Team
learning in business education has been
linked to favorable attitudes toward
learning and group project performance
in marketing, accounting, and management courses (Bacon et al., 1999; Caldwell, Weishar, & Glezen, 1996; Deeter-
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Schmeltz & Ramsey, 1998; Hampton &
Grudnitski, 1996; Miglietti, 2002). In
these studies, team learning increased
student involvement, improved problemsolving and communication skills, and
enhanced student achievement. Prater
and Rhee (2003) found that in businesswriting classes, individuals working in
groups needed minimal support and
training owing to their collective efforts.
Nevertheless, malfunction in teams
can prevent or hinder successful collaborative learning. Just like organizational
teams, student teams may experience
interpersonal conflicts (Jehn & Mannix,
2001; Miller, 2003). Also, if there is a
lack of balance in the work accomplished by each team member, teams can
allow some members to be high achievers and others to be procrastinators or
free riders (Brooks & Ammons, 2003;
Siciliano, 2001). Moreover, several
researchers found no significant difference in student outcomes between team
and nonteam class environments undertaken in accounting (Kunkel & Shafer,
1997; Lancaster & Strand, 2001). Additionally, Hampton and Grudnitski
(1996) found no evidence that all students benefited equally from cooperative
learning. To clarify the role of collaborative learning, I developed several
hypotheses and tested them by administering a questionnaire that addresses the
understanding of OM, as well as criticalthinking and communication issues
experienced by business students.
Background and Research
Hypotheses
Understanding of OM
Collaborative learning (CL) includes
a variety of instructional techniques
aimed at student-centered learning. As
an active learning method, CL enhances
information retention; the lecture
method is more passive (Koppenhaver
& Shrader, 2003). In a collaborative
environment, groups of learners work
jointly to understand an issue (Bruffee,
1999). Group problem-solving activity
leads to better comprehension (Maier,
1967). The “opportunity to practice”
principle states that talking improves
learning more than simple observation.
According to motivational theories,
people are goal driven, and collaboration enhances opportunities for individual and collective goal attainment
(Ravenscroft, Buckless, & Hassall,
1999; Slavin, 1995; Williams, Beard, &
Rymer, 1991). Also, as a result of collaboration, learners are more likely to
become intrinsically motivated and
more engaged with the course material.
Thus, I formulated my first hypothesis:
H1: Students will perceive that collaborative learning improves their understanding of OM methods and concepts.
Critical Thinking Skills for
Formulating Complex Business
Problems
Groups tend to generate high levels of
information and alternative approaches
to complex problems (Maier, 1967).
Cohen (1994) reported that collaborative
learning was suitable for addressing
nonroutine problems requiring conceptual learning. In collaborative learning,
achievement in problem solving is
increased because work teams keep
seeking solutions to a difficult problem
rather than giving up. Group members
also are exposed to each other’s different
problem-solving strategies, which
enhances high-level thinking skills. Collaborative learning exposes students to a
work environment comparable to the
one that they will experience as professionals, resulting in improvement of
their interpersonal communication and
technical skills as they learn to help
other members learn (Koppenhaver &
Shrader, 2003; Ravenscroft et al., 1999;
Williams et al., 1991). This rationale led
me to formulate my second hypothesis:
H2: Students will perceive that
collaborative learning enhances their
critical-thinking skills (i.e., recognition, formulation, analysis, and interpretation of OM problems, as well as
their ability to apply knowledge to any
OM problem).
Communication of OM and TeamBuilding Skills
Collaborative learning activities combine several aspects of teaching effectiveness: positive interdependence, faceto-face promotive interaction, individual
accountability, social skills, and group
processing (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith,
1991; Siciliano, 2001). Over time, group
members become socially coherent,
developing positive affection for each
other, thereby leading to satisfaction
(Koppenhaver & Shrader, 2003). As a
result of collaboration, group members
learn by talking and teach each other,
which enhances their interpersonal communication skills. Collaboration allows
individuals to communicate technical
information individually and collectively
rather than confining it to their own abilities. Thus, I formulated my third
hypothesis:
H3: Students will perceive that collaboration enhances communication of
OM and team-building skills.
Student Empowerment and
Independent Learning Skills
In a team setting, learners are responsible for the joint intellectual effort of
the team, as well as individually
accountable for the team’s academic
achievement. Because work teams place
greater responsibility on students to
manage their own learning, group learning can develop self-directed learning
skills. Collaboration helps to motivate
student preparation because group
members may want to avoid disappointing each other. Therefore, collaborative
learning likely will also enhance independent learning, which led me to my
fourth hypothesis:
H4: Students are likely to perceive
themselves as independent learners as a
result of collaborative learning.
Collaborative Learning Activities
Used in Teaching OM
In this study, I assigned students collaborative activities designed for OM
classes and administered surveys to
assess the role of these activities on the
students’ understanding of OM; their
critical-thinking, communication, and
team-building skills; and their degree of
empowerment.
I conducted collaborative learning
activities in the classroom with structure
and full guidance by the instructor. As
previous researchers (Bolton, 1999;
November/December 2004
111
Koppenhaver & Shrader, 2003; Tuckman, 1965) indicated, structured
emphasis on teamwork benefits students. I added five activities to the
instruction.
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Collaborative Presentation
Assignments
These assignments consist of quantitative problem-solving activities, case
analysis, key points of an OM concept
such as just-in-time (JIT) systems or
workforce productivity, role playing,
and briefing on a new product or service
development. The instructor decides the
team size according to the workload that
each assignment requires. Typically,
teams are formed of two, three, four, or
five members. The sign-up sheet distributed by the instructor shows the number
of team members required by each
assignment. For instance, a typical roleplay assignment requires three or four
students, whereas problem assignments
require three to five students, depending
on the intensity of the topic. Case analysis or introduction of a concept with
examples usually can be accomplished
by two team members. Students, however, select these topics according to
their preferences and abilities (some are
more capable in role playing, some in
problem solving) and depending on
their schedules, as they must ensure that
they have no time conflict on the day of
the presentation. Every student in class
signs up for one presentation.
For each activity, the instructor provides an outline stating the learning
objectives and possible resources to use
for cases or problems. Team members
are expected to meet and prepare a presentation, with each member responsible for his or her part of the assignment.
The students must consolidate and show
their presentation material or send it to
the instructor for feedback before the
presentation. Then the team leader
makes changes recommended by the
instructor and finalizes the presentation.
This exchange of knowledge enables
collaboration between the group members and the instructor.
In the role-playing activity, team
members first generate a new product or
service idea and then go through the
phases of a product or service design
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Journal of Education for Business
and development process by representing different functions of a business.
Team members establish a scenario and
play the roles of a marketing specialist,
an operations specialist, an accountant
or financial officer, an information systems specialist, and a human resource
manager. They can either act out the scenario while the class is observing or
show a video of their play. Following the
play, team members give in-depth explanations of the theory, such as the methods used in product development that are
relevant to their scenario. This explanation enables interaction with the class,
which involves a question-and-answer
session, as well as feedback or comments from the class. Finally, the
instructor synthesizes the team’s accomplishment and significant issues.
Problem-solving assignments consist
of breakeven and profit analysis, statistical process control (SPC), forecasting,
layout modeling, and site location
analysis problems. After presenting a
short introduction on the subject and a
summary of formulations used, group
members show and explain their solutions to the problems. These problems
are presented by each group on the same
day that they are due for the entire class.
The presenting group confirms its solutions with the instructor before the class
presentation. The other classmates are
assured that they will not be downgraded for incorrect solutions but are asked
to review and revise their solutions
based on the presenters’ solutions and
instructor’s additional comments; therefore, full cooperation and participation
take place.
Short cases related to operation strategy formulation, quality management,
process management, and issues regarding attributes versus variable types of
data are assigned to groups of two members. Though the instructor usually
picks these cases from a textbook, he or
she prepares specific case questions to
be answered by the group members. For
example, the instructor may have the
students write a vision statement for the
business, define operation strategies,
decide whether the business should
expand or not, make recommendations
for process improvement, and so forth.
The questions also are posted on the
course Web site so the class is informed
on what type of issues the group will be
discussing. Group members introduce
the case, answer the questions prepared
by the instructor, and provide examples
from their own experience that pertain
to the questions. Furthermore, the
instructor asks group members to interact with the class, either by preparing
questions to ask the class to measure its
understanding or by administering their
own discussion questions related to the
issues of the case.
The fourth type of assignment is similar to case assignments, but it is based
on an article or a supplement book that
introduces a current OM concept. A typical OM concept is lean production
principles. The group members who
have signed up for this assignment need
to read several sections of a supplement
book and articles accessible on the
course Web site, in addition to the textbook’s coverage. Then, students follow
the outline provided by the instructor to
compare lean and mass production and
discuss the benefits and drawbacks of
lean principles. Group members prepare
a short lecture summarizing their findings, review lean applications from services and manufacturing, and administer a discussion with the class. The
instructor prepares several quiz questions based on these assignments.
Collaborative presentation assignments show that students participate
more in discussions if they are administrated and facilitated by their own peers.
Overall, these assignments are a fun
experience, because although the presenters are empowered to structure a
brief lecture, all students are actively
involved and learn together.
Collaborative Computer Lab Exercises
Collaborative computer lab activities
involve either using a spreadsheet to
solve breakeven and profit analysis,
forecasting, and statistical process control problems or using simulation to
generate a supply-chain management
scenario in the computer lab when
group members and the instructor are
present. The teams are created through a
method different from that used for the
teams involved in collaborative presentation assignments. Students are asked
to form their own team with the limita-
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tion of a maximum of three members on
each team. The first computer assignment usually takes place after the first 4
weeks of the semester. Students interact
with each other until then and develop
an idea of who will be their potential
team members. Most of the teaming is
random, because students usually team
up with the classmates with whom they
have interacted the most and who happen to be sitting close to them. Students
keep their seats throughout the semester, and the instructor draws up a seating
chart for the class to record attendance
and participation.
Collaborative computer lab exercises
provide full interaction between team
members and the instructor. After the
hands-on work of setting up spreadsheet
formulations and necessary charts, team
members select a leader who oversees
the process. Then the team answers the
questions and prepares a group file for
submission. Team members discuss the
analysis questions, which pertain to such
issues as why a process is out of control
or a forecast is accurate. In the breakeven
and profit analyses, teams decide for the
best cost and process strategies. Team
members are asked to reach consensus
and compile their answers.
Another computer exercise is a realtime, Web-based simulation that mimics
a supply chain in which purchasing, selling, and manufacturing strategies need
to be developed and activities scheduled
before product delivery. The instructor
assigns a performance rating based on
how the students use the time allowed
and the profit that they make. Group
members usually perform this game
both individually and as a group and
submit their highest performance rating
at the end of the semester. These handson computer and discussion sessions
encourage everybody to use the OM
techniques and enhance their computer
skills.
Collaborative Exams
These exams combine several characteristics of effective teaching: peer interaction, active learning, time management, responsibility, attendance, and
motivation. Recently, Mallenby and
Mallenby (2003) studied the significance of collaborative quizzes for the
teaching of new quantitative material. In
this study, I designed the collaborative
exams to eliminate fear and to allow
group members to cooperate and learn
from each other while they are working
individually on their exam. Collaborative exams consist of problem analysis
and problem solving through quantitative methods, specifically breakeven
analysis, forecasting, capacity planning,
statistical process control, layout modeling, and site location analysis. Students
may use notes and texts as well. Team
members discuss how they approach the
problems and interpret their solutions
and explain their findings. However, to
prevent social loafing, the instructor
ensures that each group member is individually responsible for preparing his or
her solutions and for submitting his or
her own exam paper. Team members are
encouraged to confer with each other
during the entire session. This approach
significantly reduces anxiety and produces a more relaxed and friendly class
atmosphere. The instructor also asks
teams to reach consensus on which team
member’s exam paper will be submitted
as the team paper. During the grading
process, the instructor assesses team and
individual papers and assigns an average
of the two to each student. This method,
again, shows that contribution to the
team has value and that team performance is measured not only by the individual preparation but also by the collective effort of the team members.
project encompasses problem framing,
data collection, data analysis, problem
solving and interpretation, recommendations, report writing, computing
skills, and a presentation (i.e., a complete assessment of how much the team
has understood an operations concept
and method). Team members select an
operational problem, such as capacity
planning and determination of optimal
inventory size or staffing needs based
on sales forecasts. Other problems
extend to process control and capability
studies for manufacturing or a service.
Additionally, facility layout modeling
or determination of a new warehouse or
store location can be operational problems. Teams are allowed to work on
these projects in class as well as outside
of the classroom. The instructor ensures
that the team members take responsibility for parts of the project and present
their work at the end of the semester,
along with a project report. They interact with the instructor with regard to the
progress that they make throughout the
semester. Also, at completion, team
members evaluate each others’ contribution by completing a peer evaluation
form that specifically asks about each
person’ s contribution to the data collection, data analysis, formulation of the
problem, report writing, and presentation. These evaluations are submitted
individually and are taken into consideration for grading.
Collaborative Class Practices
Collaborative Term Project
This comprehensive project provides
the application of operations management methods to a business problem
selected by teams made up of a maximum of three, or occasionally four,
members. Familiar with each others’
work habits and behaviors, team members who initially worked together on
computer lab exercises and collaborative exams now collaborate on the term
project. Occasionally, a team or two
may face problems, and some members
may request to work independently.
The collaborative term project forces
the teams to build and transform various
mental models to reach a solution.
Analysis, application, synthesis, and
evaluation are emphasized. The team
These practices consist of small case
studies handed out in class when a new
OM method or a new concept, such as
operation strategies, is introduced. The
case is followed by a number of shortanswer, fill-in-the-blank, or multiplechoice questions that the students answer
individually. Then they discuss these
questions with their classmates. Each
small group of students randomly picks a
question and prepares the answers. During these small ad hoc group discussions,
the instructor is available to clarify questions or address any concerns that students may encounter when analyzing the
case. Group members then select a
leader and a note taker who summarizes
the group’s answers for the entire class.
The instructor reviews the answers as
November/December 2004
113
they are presented. The problems are
also introduced similarly: Students are
asked to work on a solution, and then the
example problems are solved through a
collaboration involving the class and the
instructor. The instructor gives the students small rewards if the group solutions or answers are correct. After these
exercises, the instructor gives the students homework problems that provide
students with an opportunity to self-test
their comprehension of the OM methods
and concepts.
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Method
Sample
Ninety-four students taking a required
operations management class over the
course of 2 semesters served as participants in this study. Of the 94 students, 77
were seniors and 17 were juniors. The
undergraduate operations management
course is required for all business majors
and is a prerequisite for a senior level
capstone course. Of the participants,
38% were marketing majors, 23% were
finance majors, 16% were management
majors, 10% were accounting majors,
4% were information systems majors,
6% were economics majors, and the
remaining 3% were undecided business
majors. The course was offered on campus and had a Blackboard Course Information Web site available for students.
The class prepared student group Web
pages for the electronic exchange of files
and messages. In numerous class exercises, students worked in groups. Sixtyfive percent of the course grade was
based on collaborative assignments,
exams, and projects, and 35% was based
on individual exams and problem
assignments. I conducted the collaborative assignments and exams in regular
class sessions in which all group members were present and were able to collaborate with me.
I prepared a questionnaire to measure
students’ perceptions of their understanding of OM, critical-thinking skills,
communication and team-building skills,
and independent learning skills. I asked
students to use a 5-point scale ranging
from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly
agree). The questionnaire consisted of
three sections. The first section (S1)
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Journal of Education for Business
measured students’ perceptions of their
understanding of the following OM
methods and concepts: operations strategy, lean production, integration of operations with other functions, productivity,
product development process, forecasting, breakeven and profit analysis,
capacity planning, quality management/statistical process control (SPC),
facility layout modeling, supply-chain
management, and site location analysis.
The second section of the questionnaire (S2) asked whether students perceived that they had developed critical
thinking as well as communication and
team-building skills. Students were
asked whether, as a result of this class,
their abilities to recognize OM problems and to formulate, analyze, and
interpret them had improved. S2 also
asked the students whether they were
comfortable presenting their ideas and
formulations—that is, communicating
their knowledge and working in groups.
The third section of the questionnaire
(S3) assessed the extent to which the
collaborative activities implemented by
the instructor were perceived as beneficial to the students’ learning. S3 focused
on the following collaborative activities:
exams, the term project, the presentation assignments, class and lab practices, and computer assignments
(spreadsheets and simulations).
Analysis and Results
I conducted a reliability analysis to
verify the scale and construct validities
of the survey. I summarize the Cronbach’s alpha and the descriptive statistics in Table 1.
Cronbach alpha values ranging from
.8371 to .8700 indicate that the items
(questions) effectively measured the
three underlying constructs of the questionnaire: understanding of OM, criticalthinking and communication skills, and
collaborative activities (named S1, S2,
and S3 in this study). These values
demonstrated the scale’s reliability.
Also, a factor analysis retained three
constructs with loading scores ranging
from 0.68 to 0.91, which verified the
construct validity.
The mean value of 4.20 on the 5point scale shows that the students
agreed that they had a better under-
standing of OM in a collaborative
instruction environment. Furthermore,
mean values ranging between 4.07 and
4.15 indicate that students felt confident
about their critical-thinking, problemsolving, and implementation skills. Students were also comfortable in communicating and working with their peers.
These are all important characteristics
of effective teamwork.
I also performed an analysis of variance (ANOVA), which revealed how
much of the variance in understanding or
in the development of critical-thinking
skills could be explained by the collaborative activities. I used Multivariate General Linear Model (GLM) procedure in
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in the analysis and testing
of the hypotheses. Multivariate analysis
of variance provided an approximate F
statistic using Pillai’s trace, Wilks’ lambda, Hotelling’s trace, and Roy’s largest
root criterion. To test Hypothesis 1, that
collaborative learning improves understanding of OM, I examined the influence of collaborative activities on understanding. An ANOVA showed that
students’ understanding of OM was influenced by all the collaborative activities:
exams, F(10, 9) = 2.465, p = .095; term
project, F(10, 8) = 3.511, p = .092; presentation assignments, F(10, 10) = 6.043,
p = .004; and computer assignments,
F(10, 9) = 8.218, p = .002. Also, collaborative class practices and presentations
had a combined effect on the understanding of OM, F(10, 7) = 3.942, p = .041.
Therefore, these activities were complementary in the learning of operations
management.
Moreover, I examined the effects of
collaborative activities on the understanding of individual OM methods and
concepts. In Table 2, I present the F values resulting from the tests of betweensubject effects. OM methods, such as
forecasting, SPC, capacity planning,
and OM concepts of productivity and
product development are usually difficult to grasp and can lead to misconceptions. Results show that collaboration
appeared to facilitate the understanding
of these techniques and concepts.
Therefore, Hypothesis 1, which stated
that students would perceive that collaboration improves the understanding of
OM, was corroborated.
TABLE 1. Summary Statistics of Student Perceptions of Collaborative Learning
Construct
S1: Understanding
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S2: Skills
Critical thinking skills
Communication and team-building
skills
S3: Collaborative activities
Item
I have a good understanding of OM techniques and
concepts: operations strategy, lean production; integration of operations with other functions; productivity,
product-development process; forecasting; breakeven/
profit analysis; capacity planning; quality management/SPC; facility layout modeling, supply-chain
management, site location analysis.
Mean
response
SD
Cronbach’s
alpha
4.20
.70
.8700
.8371
I am confident that I can apply principles and techniques to OM problems.
4.08
.70
I am confident that I can analyze operational problems.
4.07
.71
As a result of this class, my abilities in problem solving and interpreting solutions have improved.
4.15
.73
I am comfortable with working in groups.
4.75
.53
I am comfortable presenting my ideas and formulations.
4.29
.73
Collaborative activities were beneficial to my learning.
Exams
Term project
Presentation assignments
Class and lab practices
Computer assignments
4.36
4.20
4.33
4.15
4.12
.86
.95
.84
.95
.88
.8620
Note. Respondents used a scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). OM stands for operations management, and SPC stands for statistical process control.
TABLE 2. Tests of Between-Subject Effects of Collaborative Activities on the Understanding of OM Techniques
(Supplement to H1)
Dependent variable (understanding
of these OM methods/concepts)
F valuea
Prob. F
Collaborative exams
Forecasting
SPCb
Breakeven/profit analysis
Layout modeling
Product and process design
Productivity
Integration of OM with other business functions
3.780
2.761
2.562
4.662
3.417
4.967
5.752
.022
.062
.077
.010
.032
.007
.004
Collaborative presentations (case,
problem, and role plays)
Forecasting
SPCb
Product development
2.428
2.273
2.518
.067
.082
.060
Collaborative class and lab practices
All quantitative OM techniques
2.736–7.367
.059–.001
Collaborative computer assignments
Forecasting
Capacity planning
Integration of OM with other business functions
3.779
4.150
2.470
.020
.013
.079
Activity (independent variable)
a
Degrees of freedom = 52 for dependent variables; they range between 2 and 4 for main effects. b Statistical process control.
November/December 2004
115
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To test Hypothesis 2, which stated
that students would perceive that collaborative learning enhances their criticalthinking skills (defined as recognizing,
formulating, analyzing, and interpreting
OM problems), I analyzed the influence
of collaborative activities. All collaborative activities influenced the development of critical thinking. The multivariate F statistics ranged between 2.781
and 10.097, with probabilities ranging
between .06 and .00. Also, collaborative
exams and assignments, F(5, 12) =
4.117, p = .021, as well as collaborative
term project and class practices, F(5,
12) = 5.594, p = .007, had a combined
influence explaining the variance in
critical-thinking skills. These results
indicate that these instructional tools are
complementary in enhancing recognition, analysis, and formulation of OM
problems.
Moreover, tests of between-subjects
effects, as shown in Table 3, revealed
that students felt confident about their
problem-analysis skills, owing to the
combined influence of the collaborative
term project and class practices (F =
3.472, p = .081). The term project allows
the students to analyze a real business
problem that they determine. Class practices, involving a hypothetical case given
by the instructor, prepare students for the
sort of problems that businesses might
face. The students’ problem-solving
skills were improved by collaborative
presentations (F = 3.03, p = .049). The
students not only analyzed the OM problems but had to come up with quantitative solutions for them. The discussion
and collective learning environment that
collaborative exams provide helped the
students to recognize OM problems, formulate them, and think strategically
when answering which strategies should
be implemented. Students also felt confident that they could formulate OM
problems by applying the methods and
concepts that they learned after completing the collaborative term project (F =
4.452, p = .029) and class practices (F =
6.925, p = .007). Class practices helped
to frame OM problems. In addition,
computer lab practices enhanced the students’ information technology skills,
such as use of spreadsheets and creating
graphs. The students also improved their
technology skills by using the Internet to
find stock price information, searching
company Web sites, using real-time simulations, and downloading and uploading files to the Blackboard course site.
Therefore, collaborative learning
enhanced their critical-thinking skills—
that is, their recognition, formulation,
analysis, and interpretation of OM prob-
lems, as well as their ability to apply
knowledge to any OM problem. Thus,
Hypothesis 2 was supported.
To test Hypothesis 3, stating that
students would perceive that collaboration enhances communication skills
(defined as effective presentation of
ideas and formulations and the ability
to work in groups), I analyzed tests of
between-subject effects. The analysis
shows that communication of OM
knowledge and team building were
influenced by several collaborative
tools. Among these, the collaborative
term project (F = 5.078, p = .02), class
practices (F = 3.843, p = .043), and the
presentations assignments (F = 3.939,
p = .021) played a main role. Teambuilding skills were influenced significantly by the combined effects of the
term project and assignments, the
effects of both collaborative exams and
the term project, and the collaborative
exams and assignments. Therefore,
Hypothesis 3, which stated that students would agree that collaboration
improves communication and teambuilding skills, was supported.
Hypothesis 4 stated that the students
would perceive themselves as independent learners as a result of collaborative
learning. The analysis conducted to test
the hypothesis showed that collaborative
TABLE 3. Tests of Between-Subject Effects of Collaborative Activities on Critical-Thinking, Communication, and
Team-Building Skills (H2 and H3)
Activity (independent variable)
Main effects
Collaborative term project
Collaborative presentations (case,
problem, and role plays)
Class and lab practices
Interaction effects
Collaborative exams × term project
Collaborative exams × computer
assignments
Collaborative term project × computer
assignments
Collaborative term project × class and
lab practices
a
116
Degrees of freedom range between 3 and 4 for main effects.
Journal of Education for Business
Dependent variable (understanding
of these OM methods/concepts)
F valuea
Prob. F
Problem formulation
Communication of ideas and formulations
4.452
5.078
.029
.020
Problem formulation
Problem solving
Communication of ideas and formulations
Problem formulation
Communication of ideas and formulations
6.037
3.030
3.939
6.925
3.843
.004
.049
.021
.007
.043
Team building
3.064
.003
Team building
12.250
.020
Team building
3.605
.076
18.772
3.472
.001
.081
Problem formulation
Analysis of OM problems
class practices and presentations were
influential in making students independent learners (F = 7.165, p = .000; F =
3.063, p = .045). These activities encouraged team members to become involved
with the learning process, take charge,
and be empowered to manage their work.
Because class practices and presentations
took place before exams, they prepared
students for the assessment of their learning. Because I found that not all collaborative activities are influential, instructors
should select collaborative tools carefully
to enhance independent learning.
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Further Findings
My results show that the collaborative instructional tools adapted for this
course resulted in an effective collaborative learning environment. Students
not only understood the OM concepts
and principles but also were confident
that they had attained the critical thinking and communication skills crucial
for success in the work environment. In
addition to understanding OM material;
developing problem recognition, formulation, and solution; and improving
communication skills, students also
indicated that they were not overwhelmed or bored. With respect to their
not being overwhelmed, I performed a
multivariate ANOVA that showed that
the influence of presentation assignments (F = 6.205, p = .0030) and the
influence of collaborative exams and
computer assignments (F = 4.527, p =
.017) were significant. Furthermore,
collaborative exams and assignments
correlated with the students’ not being
bored (Pearson correlation coefficient:
0.373, significance = .039).
I also conducted a correlation analysis to examine the relationship of collaboration, independent learning, and
other satisfaction indicators, such as not
being bored and not feeling overwhelmed. In Table 4, I summarize the
correlation analysis results. Becoming
an independent learner correlated with
not feeling overwhelmed (Pearson correlation coefficient: .313; significance =
.086) and with not being bored (Pearson
correlation coefficient: .315; significance = .086). These results indicate
that the influence of collaboration on
becoming an independent learner helps
TABLE 4. Correlations of Independent Learning With Student Satisfaction and Critical-Thinking Skills
Measure
Not overwhelmed
Not bored
Problem-solving skills
Problem-recognition skills
Understanding OM
the learners to become intrinsically
motivated and involved without feeling
overwhelmed. Furthermore, the analysis
demonstrates that independent learning
correlates with critical-thinking skills.
Conclusion
My purpose in this study was to
examine how collaboration influences
understanding of operations management and enhances critical-thinking,
communication, and teamwork skills. I
found that a wide range of collaborative
activities, such as exams, projects, presentations, and practices, were successful tools for teaching quantitative OM
techniques and principles. Students
indicated that they gained more knowledge of operations management and had
a good understanding of the techniques.
Collaboration also helped students see
the relationship of operations management to other business functions. Students also felt that their ability to analyze, formulate, and solve problems and
their strategic-thinking skills were
enhanced by the use of these instructional tools. Although I did not specifically analyze the performance of the
students (this analysis could be undertaken in further studies), I observed
improved performance over the semesters as a result of the collaborative classroom activities. Students’ misconceptions about quantitative knowledge
were substantially reduced, and their
willingness to acquire in-depth understanding and integration of knowledge
was increased.
Today’s global work teams require
employees to communicate and learn
from each other effectively. The results
of this study show that the use of collaboration in the classroom for teaching
Pearson correlation
(N = 31)
Significance
(2-tailed)
.313
.315
.509
.339
.437
.086
.086
.003
.062
.014
and assessing performance prepares students for a collaborative work environment. Students reported that they developed increased skills in working
together as a result of the collaboration
assignments. As students shared what
they know with peers, their communication and group skills also improved significantly.
In addition, collaborative learning
seems to enhance students’ self-confidence in their ability to define problems
and apply knowledge competently to
them. This characteristic makes team
members successful in the long run by
teaching them to manage their own
learning and become independent learners. Overall, this study was successful in
demonstrating the importance of collaborative instructional tools in preparing
business students for the real-world
challenge. The new global collaborative
work environment requires motivated,
self-confident critical thinkers who can
communicate, manage, and make rational decisions. Our role as educators lies
in understanding these emerging needs
and adapting our teaching to engage
learners more effectively in the learning
process.
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ISSN: 0883-2323 (Print) 1940-3356 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjeb20
Student Perceptions of Collaborative Learning in
Operations Management Classes
Hulya Julie Yazici
To cite this article: Hulya Julie Yazici (2004) Student Perceptions of Collaborative Learning
in Operations Management Classes, Journal of Education for Business, 80:2, 110-118, DOI:
10.3200/JOEB.80.2.110-118
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/JOEB.80.2.110-118
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Date: 12 January 2016, At: 22:25
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Student Perceptions of
Collaborative Learning in
Operations Management Classes
HULYA JULIE YAZICI
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
La Crosse, Wisconsin
O
perations management (OM) consists of a wide spectrum of quantitative as well as qualitative concepts and
methods that can significantly improve
how businesses perform. In most business curricula, OM is a required course
offered to students with different majors
and with a diverse range of quantitative
skills. For many, despite the mathematics
or statistics prerequisites, the quantitative
aspect of the course can be troublesome
(Mukherjee, 2002; Peters, Kethley, &
Bullington, 2002). Also, understanding
the operating system can be challenging.
Students may not have developed the
critical-thinking and communication
skills necessary to analyze and synthesize
complex business problems, generate
viable solutions, act independently, and
communicate effectively with their peers
(Gardner & Korth, 1998).
As students benefit most when working in stable and structured teams, the
need for designing a course for collaborative and active learning practices is
crucial (Bacon, Stewart, & Silver, 1999;
Bolton, 1999; King, 1992; Koppenhaver
& Shrader, 2003; Siciliano, 2001). Students reported a greater satisfaction
when provided with additional teambuilding training and an instructor who
played the role of team coach in the
classroom (Bolton). Therefore, I sought
to answer several questions: Which collaborative activities influence learning
110
Journal of Education for Business
ABSTRACT. Given today’s global
work environment, business education
should prepare learners not only for
technical excellence but also for effective collaboration. In this article, the
author describes how collaborative
activities—ranging from exams to
projects and role playing—enhance
the understanding of operations management (OM). The author found that
collaborative learning improved
undergraduate business students’
understanding of quantitative OM
methods, developed their strategicthinking skills, and enhanced their
confidence in their critical-thinking
and implementation skills. The exercises also increased students’ comfort
level in communicating and working
with their peers and enhanced their
independent learning skills.
and team-building skills? How can
these tools be administrated? What are
the students’ perceptions about collaborative activities for learning operations
management? For this study, I postulated that collaborative learning (CL)
would facilitate the learning of OM
techniques and concepts. Furthermore,
as CL lends itself to sharing and integrating with others, I assumed it would
enhance communication and teambuilding skills among learners.
Collaboration in Business and
Collaborative Learning
Self-directed work teams are seen as
an important mechanism for dealing with
today’s complex and rapidly changing
business environment. As global teams
emerge to adapt quickly to competitive
changes, companies depend heavily on
collaborative work environments. Teamoriented work environments provide
opportunities for employees to learn
from colleagues with expertise and to
help one another through working
together, sharing information, and
watching out for one another (Janz,
1999; Mikkelsen & Gronhaug, 2000).
When they are effective, the work groups
that form in such environments are characterized by cooperative learning or the
“collective mind” (Weick & Roberts,
1993). Cooperation, coordination, and
collective approaches to work are all
desirable characteristics of knowledge
creation, sharing, and the overall learning
process (Bixler, 2002; Gardner & Korth,
1998; Hult, Hurley, Giunipero, &
Nichols, 2000; Janz, 1999; Janz &
Prasarnphanich, 2003).
Collaborative or cooperative learning
(CL) is the instructional use of small
groups or teams in which peer interaction plays a key role in learning. Team
learning in business education has been
linked to favorable attitudes toward
learning and group project performance
in marketing, accounting, and management courses (Bacon et al., 1999; Caldwell, Weishar, & Glezen, 1996; Deeter-
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Schmeltz & Ramsey, 1998; Hampton &
Grudnitski, 1996; Miglietti, 2002). In
these studies, team learning increased
student involvement, improved problemsolving and communication skills, and
enhanced student achievement. Prater
and Rhee (2003) found that in businesswriting classes, individuals working in
groups needed minimal support and
training owing to their collective efforts.
Nevertheless, malfunction in teams
can prevent or hinder successful collaborative learning. Just like organizational
teams, student teams may experience
interpersonal conflicts (Jehn & Mannix,
2001; Miller, 2003). Also, if there is a
lack of balance in the work accomplished by each team member, teams can
allow some members to be high achievers and others to be procrastinators or
free riders (Brooks & Ammons, 2003;
Siciliano, 2001). Moreover, several
researchers found no significant difference in student outcomes between team
and nonteam class environments undertaken in accounting (Kunkel & Shafer,
1997; Lancaster & Strand, 2001). Additionally, Hampton and Grudnitski
(1996) found no evidence that all students benefited equally from cooperative
learning. To clarify the role of collaborative learning, I developed several
hypotheses and tested them by administering a questionnaire that addresses the
understanding of OM, as well as criticalthinking and communication issues
experienced by business students.
Background and Research
Hypotheses
Understanding of OM
Collaborative learning (CL) includes
a variety of instructional techniques
aimed at student-centered learning. As
an active learning method, CL enhances
information retention; the lecture
method is more passive (Koppenhaver
& Shrader, 2003). In a collaborative
environment, groups of learners work
jointly to understand an issue (Bruffee,
1999). Group problem-solving activity
leads to better comprehension (Maier,
1967). The “opportunity to practice”
principle states that talking improves
learning more than simple observation.
According to motivational theories,
people are goal driven, and collaboration enhances opportunities for individual and collective goal attainment
(Ravenscroft, Buckless, & Hassall,
1999; Slavin, 1995; Williams, Beard, &
Rymer, 1991). Also, as a result of collaboration, learners are more likely to
become intrinsically motivated and
more engaged with the course material.
Thus, I formulated my first hypothesis:
H1: Students will perceive that collaborative learning improves their understanding of OM methods and concepts.
Critical Thinking Skills for
Formulating Complex Business
Problems
Groups tend to generate high levels of
information and alternative approaches
to complex problems (Maier, 1967).
Cohen (1994) reported that collaborative
learning was suitable for addressing
nonroutine problems requiring conceptual learning. In collaborative learning,
achievement in problem solving is
increased because work teams keep
seeking solutions to a difficult problem
rather than giving up. Group members
also are exposed to each other’s different
problem-solving strategies, which
enhances high-level thinking skills. Collaborative learning exposes students to a
work environment comparable to the
one that they will experience as professionals, resulting in improvement of
their interpersonal communication and
technical skills as they learn to help
other members learn (Koppenhaver &
Shrader, 2003; Ravenscroft et al., 1999;
Williams et al., 1991). This rationale led
me to formulate my second hypothesis:
H2: Students will perceive that
collaborative learning enhances their
critical-thinking skills (i.e., recognition, formulation, analysis, and interpretation of OM problems, as well as
their ability to apply knowledge to any
OM problem).
Communication of OM and TeamBuilding Skills
Collaborative learning activities combine several aspects of teaching effectiveness: positive interdependence, faceto-face promotive interaction, individual
accountability, social skills, and group
processing (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith,
1991; Siciliano, 2001). Over time, group
members become socially coherent,
developing positive affection for each
other, thereby leading to satisfaction
(Koppenhaver & Shrader, 2003). As a
result of collaboration, group members
learn by talking and teach each other,
which enhances their interpersonal communication skills. Collaboration allows
individuals to communicate technical
information individually and collectively
rather than confining it to their own abilities. Thus, I formulated my third
hypothesis:
H3: Students will perceive that collaboration enhances communication of
OM and team-building skills.
Student Empowerment and
Independent Learning Skills
In a team setting, learners are responsible for the joint intellectual effort of
the team, as well as individually
accountable for the team’s academic
achievement. Because work teams place
greater responsibility on students to
manage their own learning, group learning can develop self-directed learning
skills. Collaboration helps to motivate
student preparation because group
members may want to avoid disappointing each other. Therefore, collaborative
learning likely will also enhance independent learning, which led me to my
fourth hypothesis:
H4: Students are likely to perceive
themselves as independent learners as a
result of collaborative learning.
Collaborative Learning Activities
Used in Teaching OM
In this study, I assigned students collaborative activities designed for OM
classes and administered surveys to
assess the role of these activities on the
students’ understanding of OM; their
critical-thinking, communication, and
team-building skills; and their degree of
empowerment.
I conducted collaborative learning
activities in the classroom with structure
and full guidance by the instructor. As
previous researchers (Bolton, 1999;
November/December 2004
111
Koppenhaver & Shrader, 2003; Tuckman, 1965) indicated, structured
emphasis on teamwork benefits students. I added five activities to the
instruction.
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Collaborative Presentation
Assignments
These assignments consist of quantitative problem-solving activities, case
analysis, key points of an OM concept
such as just-in-time (JIT) systems or
workforce productivity, role playing,
and briefing on a new product or service
development. The instructor decides the
team size according to the workload that
each assignment requires. Typically,
teams are formed of two, three, four, or
five members. The sign-up sheet distributed by the instructor shows the number
of team members required by each
assignment. For instance, a typical roleplay assignment requires three or four
students, whereas problem assignments
require three to five students, depending
on the intensity of the topic. Case analysis or introduction of a concept with
examples usually can be accomplished
by two team members. Students, however, select these topics according to
their preferences and abilities (some are
more capable in role playing, some in
problem solving) and depending on
their schedules, as they must ensure that
they have no time conflict on the day of
the presentation. Every student in class
signs up for one presentation.
For each activity, the instructor provides an outline stating the learning
objectives and possible resources to use
for cases or problems. Team members
are expected to meet and prepare a presentation, with each member responsible for his or her part of the assignment.
The students must consolidate and show
their presentation material or send it to
the instructor for feedback before the
presentation. Then the team leader
makes changes recommended by the
instructor and finalizes the presentation.
This exchange of knowledge enables
collaboration between the group members and the instructor.
In the role-playing activity, team
members first generate a new product or
service idea and then go through the
phases of a product or service design
112
Journal of Education for Business
and development process by representing different functions of a business.
Team members establish a scenario and
play the roles of a marketing specialist,
an operations specialist, an accountant
or financial officer, an information systems specialist, and a human resource
manager. They can either act out the scenario while the class is observing or
show a video of their play. Following the
play, team members give in-depth explanations of the theory, such as the methods used in product development that are
relevant to their scenario. This explanation enables interaction with the class,
which involves a question-and-answer
session, as well as feedback or comments from the class. Finally, the
instructor synthesizes the team’s accomplishment and significant issues.
Problem-solving assignments consist
of breakeven and profit analysis, statistical process control (SPC), forecasting,
layout modeling, and site location
analysis problems. After presenting a
short introduction on the subject and a
summary of formulations used, group
members show and explain their solutions to the problems. These problems
are presented by each group on the same
day that they are due for the entire class.
The presenting group confirms its solutions with the instructor before the class
presentation. The other classmates are
assured that they will not be downgraded for incorrect solutions but are asked
to review and revise their solutions
based on the presenters’ solutions and
instructor’s additional comments; therefore, full cooperation and participation
take place.
Short cases related to operation strategy formulation, quality management,
process management, and issues regarding attributes versus variable types of
data are assigned to groups of two members. Though the instructor usually
picks these cases from a textbook, he or
she prepares specific case questions to
be answered by the group members. For
example, the instructor may have the
students write a vision statement for the
business, define operation strategies,
decide whether the business should
expand or not, make recommendations
for process improvement, and so forth.
The questions also are posted on the
course Web site so the class is informed
on what type of issues the group will be
discussing. Group members introduce
the case, answer the questions prepared
by the instructor, and provide examples
from their own experience that pertain
to the questions. Furthermore, the
instructor asks group members to interact with the class, either by preparing
questions to ask the class to measure its
understanding or by administering their
own discussion questions related to the
issues of the case.
The fourth type of assignment is similar to case assignments, but it is based
on an article or a supplement book that
introduces a current OM concept. A typical OM concept is lean production
principles. The group members who
have signed up for this assignment need
to read several sections of a supplement
book and articles accessible on the
course Web site, in addition to the textbook’s coverage. Then, students follow
the outline provided by the instructor to
compare lean and mass production and
discuss the benefits and drawbacks of
lean principles. Group members prepare
a short lecture summarizing their findings, review lean applications from services and manufacturing, and administer a discussion with the class. The
instructor prepares several quiz questions based on these assignments.
Collaborative presentation assignments show that students participate
more in discussions if they are administrated and facilitated by their own peers.
Overall, these assignments are a fun
experience, because although the presenters are empowered to structure a
brief lecture, all students are actively
involved and learn together.
Collaborative Computer Lab Exercises
Collaborative computer lab activities
involve either using a spreadsheet to
solve breakeven and profit analysis,
forecasting, and statistical process control problems or using simulation to
generate a supply-chain management
scenario in the computer lab when
group members and the instructor are
present. The teams are created through a
method different from that used for the
teams involved in collaborative presentation assignments. Students are asked
to form their own team with the limita-
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tion of a maximum of three members on
each team. The first computer assignment usually takes place after the first 4
weeks of the semester. Students interact
with each other until then and develop
an idea of who will be their potential
team members. Most of the teaming is
random, because students usually team
up with the classmates with whom they
have interacted the most and who happen to be sitting close to them. Students
keep their seats throughout the semester, and the instructor draws up a seating
chart for the class to record attendance
and participation.
Collaborative computer lab exercises
provide full interaction between team
members and the instructor. After the
hands-on work of setting up spreadsheet
formulations and necessary charts, team
members select a leader who oversees
the process. Then the team answers the
questions and prepares a group file for
submission. Team members discuss the
analysis questions, which pertain to such
issues as why a process is out of control
or a forecast is accurate. In the breakeven
and profit analyses, teams decide for the
best cost and process strategies. Team
members are asked to reach consensus
and compile their answers.
Another computer exercise is a realtime, Web-based simulation that mimics
a supply chain in which purchasing, selling, and manufacturing strategies need
to be developed and activities scheduled
before product delivery. The instructor
assigns a performance rating based on
how the students use the time allowed
and the profit that they make. Group
members usually perform this game
both individually and as a group and
submit their highest performance rating
at the end of the semester. These handson computer and discussion sessions
encourage everybody to use the OM
techniques and enhance their computer
skills.
Collaborative Exams
These exams combine several characteristics of effective teaching: peer interaction, active learning, time management, responsibility, attendance, and
motivation. Recently, Mallenby and
Mallenby (2003) studied the significance of collaborative quizzes for the
teaching of new quantitative material. In
this study, I designed the collaborative
exams to eliminate fear and to allow
group members to cooperate and learn
from each other while they are working
individually on their exam. Collaborative exams consist of problem analysis
and problem solving through quantitative methods, specifically breakeven
analysis, forecasting, capacity planning,
statistical process control, layout modeling, and site location analysis. Students
may use notes and texts as well. Team
members discuss how they approach the
problems and interpret their solutions
and explain their findings. However, to
prevent social loafing, the instructor
ensures that each group member is individually responsible for preparing his or
her solutions and for submitting his or
her own exam paper. Team members are
encouraged to confer with each other
during the entire session. This approach
significantly reduces anxiety and produces a more relaxed and friendly class
atmosphere. The instructor also asks
teams to reach consensus on which team
member’s exam paper will be submitted
as the team paper. During the grading
process, the instructor assesses team and
individual papers and assigns an average
of the two to each student. This method,
again, shows that contribution to the
team has value and that team performance is measured not only by the individual preparation but also by the collective effort of the team members.
project encompasses problem framing,
data collection, data analysis, problem
solving and interpretation, recommendations, report writing, computing
skills, and a presentation (i.e., a complete assessment of how much the team
has understood an operations concept
and method). Team members select an
operational problem, such as capacity
planning and determination of optimal
inventory size or staffing needs based
on sales forecasts. Other problems
extend to process control and capability
studies for manufacturing or a service.
Additionally, facility layout modeling
or determination of a new warehouse or
store location can be operational problems. Teams are allowed to work on
these projects in class as well as outside
of the classroom. The instructor ensures
that the team members take responsibility for parts of the project and present
their work at the end of the semester,
along with a project report. They interact with the instructor with regard to the
progress that they make throughout the
semester. Also, at completion, team
members evaluate each others’ contribution by completing a peer evaluation
form that specifically asks about each
person’ s contribution to the data collection, data analysis, formulation of the
problem, report writing, and presentation. These evaluations are submitted
individually and are taken into consideration for grading.
Collaborative Class Practices
Collaborative Term Project
This comprehensive project provides
the application of operations management methods to a business problem
selected by teams made up of a maximum of three, or occasionally four,
members. Familiar with each others’
work habits and behaviors, team members who initially worked together on
computer lab exercises and collaborative exams now collaborate on the term
project. Occasionally, a team or two
may face problems, and some members
may request to work independently.
The collaborative term project forces
the teams to build and transform various
mental models to reach a solution.
Analysis, application, synthesis, and
evaluation are emphasized. The team
These practices consist of small case
studies handed out in class when a new
OM method or a new concept, such as
operation strategies, is introduced. The
case is followed by a number of shortanswer, fill-in-the-blank, or multiplechoice questions that the students answer
individually. Then they discuss these
questions with their classmates. Each
small group of students randomly picks a
question and prepares the answers. During these small ad hoc group discussions,
the instructor is available to clarify questions or address any concerns that students may encounter when analyzing the
case. Group members then select a
leader and a note taker who summarizes
the group’s answers for the entire class.
The instructor reviews the answers as
November/December 2004
113
they are presented. The problems are
also introduced similarly: Students are
asked to work on a solution, and then the
example problems are solved through a
collaboration involving the class and the
instructor. The instructor gives the students small rewards if the group solutions or answers are correct. After these
exercises, the instructor gives the students homework problems that provide
students with an opportunity to self-test
their comprehension of the OM methods
and concepts.
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Method
Sample
Ninety-four students taking a required
operations management class over the
course of 2 semesters served as participants in this study. Of the 94 students, 77
were seniors and 17 were juniors. The
undergraduate operations management
course is required for all business majors
and is a prerequisite for a senior level
capstone course. Of the participants,
38% were marketing majors, 23% were
finance majors, 16% were management
majors, 10% were accounting majors,
4% were information systems majors,
6% were economics majors, and the
remaining 3% were undecided business
majors. The course was offered on campus and had a Blackboard Course Information Web site available for students.
The class prepared student group Web
pages for the electronic exchange of files
and messages. In numerous class exercises, students worked in groups. Sixtyfive percent of the course grade was
based on collaborative assignments,
exams, and projects, and 35% was based
on individual exams and problem
assignments. I conducted the collaborative assignments and exams in regular
class sessions in which all group members were present and were able to collaborate with me.
I prepared a questionnaire to measure
students’ perceptions of their understanding of OM, critical-thinking skills,
communication and team-building skills,
and independent learning skills. I asked
students to use a 5-point scale ranging
from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly
agree). The questionnaire consisted of
three sections. The first section (S1)
114
Journal of Education for Business
measured students’ perceptions of their
understanding of the following OM
methods and concepts: operations strategy, lean production, integration of operations with other functions, productivity,
product development process, forecasting, breakeven and profit analysis,
capacity planning, quality management/statistical process control (SPC),
facility layout modeling, supply-chain
management, and site location analysis.
The second section of the questionnaire (S2) asked whether students perceived that they had developed critical
thinking as well as communication and
team-building skills. Students were
asked whether, as a result of this class,
their abilities to recognize OM problems and to formulate, analyze, and
interpret them had improved. S2 also
asked the students whether they were
comfortable presenting their ideas and
formulations—that is, communicating
their knowledge and working in groups.
The third section of the questionnaire
(S3) assessed the extent to which the
collaborative activities implemented by
the instructor were perceived as beneficial to the students’ learning. S3 focused
on the following collaborative activities:
exams, the term project, the presentation assignments, class and lab practices, and computer assignments
(spreadsheets and simulations).
Analysis and Results
I conducted a reliability analysis to
verify the scale and construct validities
of the survey. I summarize the Cronbach’s alpha and the descriptive statistics in Table 1.
Cronbach alpha values ranging from
.8371 to .8700 indicate that the items
(questions) effectively measured the
three underlying constructs of the questionnaire: understanding of OM, criticalthinking and communication skills, and
collaborative activities (named S1, S2,
and S3 in this study). These values
demonstrated the scale’s reliability.
Also, a factor analysis retained three
constructs with loading scores ranging
from 0.68 to 0.91, which verified the
construct validity.
The mean value of 4.20 on the 5point scale shows that the students
agreed that they had a better under-
standing of OM in a collaborative
instruction environment. Furthermore,
mean values ranging between 4.07 and
4.15 indicate that students felt confident
about their critical-thinking, problemsolving, and implementation skills. Students were also comfortable in communicating and working with their peers.
These are all important characteristics
of effective teamwork.
I also performed an analysis of variance (ANOVA), which revealed how
much of the variance in understanding or
in the development of critical-thinking
skills could be explained by the collaborative activities. I used Multivariate General Linear Model (GLM) procedure in
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in the analysis and testing
of the hypotheses. Multivariate analysis
of variance provided an approximate F
statistic using Pillai’s trace, Wilks’ lambda, Hotelling’s trace, and Roy’s largest
root criterion. To test Hypothesis 1, that
collaborative learning improves understanding of OM, I examined the influence of collaborative activities on understanding. An ANOVA showed that
students’ understanding of OM was influenced by all the collaborative activities:
exams, F(10, 9) = 2.465, p = .095; term
project, F(10, 8) = 3.511, p = .092; presentation assignments, F(10, 10) = 6.043,
p = .004; and computer assignments,
F(10, 9) = 8.218, p = .002. Also, collaborative class practices and presentations
had a combined effect on the understanding of OM, F(10, 7) = 3.942, p = .041.
Therefore, these activities were complementary in the learning of operations
management.
Moreover, I examined the effects of
collaborative activities on the understanding of individual OM methods and
concepts. In Table 2, I present the F values resulting from the tests of betweensubject effects. OM methods, such as
forecasting, SPC, capacity planning,
and OM concepts of productivity and
product development are usually difficult to grasp and can lead to misconceptions. Results show that collaboration
appeared to facilitate the understanding
of these techniques and concepts.
Therefore, Hypothesis 1, which stated
that students would perceive that collaboration improves the understanding of
OM, was corroborated.
TABLE 1. Summary Statistics of Student Perceptions of Collaborative Learning
Construct
S1: Understanding
Downloaded by [Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji] at 22:25 12 January 2016
S2: Skills
Critical thinking skills
Communication and team-building
skills
S3: Collaborative activities
Item
I have a good understanding of OM techniques and
concepts: operations strategy, lean production; integration of operations with other functions; productivity,
product-development process; forecasting; breakeven/
profit analysis; capacity planning; quality management/SPC; facility layout modeling, supply-chain
management, site location analysis.
Mean
response
SD
Cronbach’s
alpha
4.20
.70
.8700
.8371
I am confident that I can apply principles and techniques to OM problems.
4.08
.70
I am confident that I can analyze operational problems.
4.07
.71
As a result of this class, my abilities in problem solving and interpreting solutions have improved.
4.15
.73
I am comfortable with working in groups.
4.75
.53
I am comfortable presenting my ideas and formulations.
4.29
.73
Collaborative activities were beneficial to my learning.
Exams
Term project
Presentation assignments
Class and lab practices
Computer assignments
4.36
4.20
4.33
4.15
4.12
.86
.95
.84
.95
.88
.8620
Note. Respondents used a scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). OM stands for operations management, and SPC stands for statistical process control.
TABLE 2. Tests of Between-Subject Effects of Collaborative Activities on the Understanding of OM Techniques
(Supplement to H1)
Dependent variable (understanding
of these OM methods/concepts)
F valuea
Prob. F
Collaborative exams
Forecasting
SPCb
Breakeven/profit analysis
Layout modeling
Product and process design
Productivity
Integration of OM with other business functions
3.780
2.761
2.562
4.662
3.417
4.967
5.752
.022
.062
.077
.010
.032
.007
.004
Collaborative presentations (case,
problem, and role plays)
Forecasting
SPCb
Product development
2.428
2.273
2.518
.067
.082
.060
Collaborative class and lab practices
All quantitative OM techniques
2.736–7.367
.059–.001
Collaborative computer assignments
Forecasting
Capacity planning
Integration of OM with other business functions
3.779
4.150
2.470
.020
.013
.079
Activity (independent variable)
a
Degrees of freedom = 52 for dependent variables; they range between 2 and 4 for main effects. b Statistical process control.
November/December 2004
115
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To test Hypothesis 2, which stated
that students would perceive that collaborative learning enhances their criticalthinking skills (defined as recognizing,
formulating, analyzing, and interpreting
OM problems), I analyzed the influence
of collaborative activities. All collaborative activities influenced the development of critical thinking. The multivariate F statistics ranged between 2.781
and 10.097, with probabilities ranging
between .06 and .00. Also, collaborative
exams and assignments, F(5, 12) =
4.117, p = .021, as well as collaborative
term project and class practices, F(5,
12) = 5.594, p = .007, had a combined
influence explaining the variance in
critical-thinking skills. These results
indicate that these instructional tools are
complementary in enhancing recognition, analysis, and formulation of OM
problems.
Moreover, tests of between-subjects
effects, as shown in Table 3, revealed
that students felt confident about their
problem-analysis skills, owing to the
combined influence of the collaborative
term project and class practices (F =
3.472, p = .081). The term project allows
the students to analyze a real business
problem that they determine. Class practices, involving a hypothetical case given
by the instructor, prepare students for the
sort of problems that businesses might
face. The students’ problem-solving
skills were improved by collaborative
presentations (F = 3.03, p = .049). The
students not only analyzed the OM problems but had to come up with quantitative solutions for them. The discussion
and collective learning environment that
collaborative exams provide helped the
students to recognize OM problems, formulate them, and think strategically
when answering which strategies should
be implemented. Students also felt confident that they could formulate OM
problems by applying the methods and
concepts that they learned after completing the collaborative term project (F =
4.452, p = .029) and class practices (F =
6.925, p = .007). Class practices helped
to frame OM problems. In addition,
computer lab practices enhanced the students’ information technology skills,
such as use of spreadsheets and creating
graphs. The students also improved their
technology skills by using the Internet to
find stock price information, searching
company Web sites, using real-time simulations, and downloading and uploading files to the Blackboard course site.
Therefore, collaborative learning
enhanced their critical-thinking skills—
that is, their recognition, formulation,
analysis, and interpretation of OM prob-
lems, as well as their ability to apply
knowledge to any OM problem. Thus,
Hypothesis 2 was supported.
To test Hypothesis 3, stating that
students would perceive that collaboration enhances communication skills
(defined as effective presentation of
ideas and formulations and the ability
to work in groups), I analyzed tests of
between-subject effects. The analysis
shows that communication of OM
knowledge and team building were
influenced by several collaborative
tools. Among these, the collaborative
term project (F = 5.078, p = .02), class
practices (F = 3.843, p = .043), and the
presentations assignments (F = 3.939,
p = .021) played a main role. Teambuilding skills were influenced significantly by the combined effects of the
term project and assignments, the
effects of both collaborative exams and
the term project, and the collaborative
exams and assignments. Therefore,
Hypothesis 3, which stated that students would agree that collaboration
improves communication and teambuilding skills, was supported.
Hypothesis 4 stated that the students
would perceive themselves as independent learners as a result of collaborative
learning. The analysis conducted to test
the hypothesis showed that collaborative
TABLE 3. Tests of Between-Subject Effects of Collaborative Activities on Critical-Thinking, Communication, and
Team-Building Skills (H2 and H3)
Activity (independent variable)
Main effects
Collaborative term project
Collaborative presentations (case,
problem, and role plays)
Class and lab practices
Interaction effects
Collaborative exams × term project
Collaborative exams × computer
assignments
Collaborative term project × computer
assignments
Collaborative term project × class and
lab practices
a
116
Degrees of freedom range between 3 and 4 for main effects.
Journal of Education for Business
Dependent variable (understanding
of these OM methods/concepts)
F valuea
Prob. F
Problem formulation
Communication of ideas and formulations
4.452
5.078
.029
.020
Problem formulation
Problem solving
Communication of ideas and formulations
Problem formulation
Communication of ideas and formulations
6.037
3.030
3.939
6.925
3.843
.004
.049
.021
.007
.043
Team building
3.064
.003
Team building
12.250
.020
Team building
3.605
.076
18.772
3.472
.001
.081
Problem formulation
Analysis of OM problems
class practices and presentations were
influential in making students independent learners (F = 7.165, p = .000; F =
3.063, p = .045). These activities encouraged team members to become involved
with the learning process, take charge,
and be empowered to manage their work.
Because class practices and presentations
took place before exams, they prepared
students for the assessment of their learning. Because I found that not all collaborative activities are influential, instructors
should select collaborative tools carefully
to enhance independent learning.
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Further Findings
My results show that the collaborative instructional tools adapted for this
course resulted in an effective collaborative learning environment. Students
not only understood the OM concepts
and principles but also were confident
that they had attained the critical thinking and communication skills crucial
for success in the work environment. In
addition to understanding OM material;
developing problem recognition, formulation, and solution; and improving
communication skills, students also
indicated that they were not overwhelmed or bored. With respect to their
not being overwhelmed, I performed a
multivariate ANOVA that showed that
the influence of presentation assignments (F = 6.205, p = .0030) and the
influence of collaborative exams and
computer assignments (F = 4.527, p =
.017) were significant. Furthermore,
collaborative exams and assignments
correlated with the students’ not being
bored (Pearson correlation coefficient:
0.373, significance = .039).
I also conducted a correlation analysis to examine the relationship of collaboration, independent learning, and
other satisfaction indicators, such as not
being bored and not feeling overwhelmed. In Table 4, I summarize the
correlation analysis results. Becoming
an independent learner correlated with
not feeling overwhelmed (Pearson correlation coefficient: .313; significance =
.086) and with not being bored (Pearson
correlation coefficient: .315; significance = .086). These results indicate
that the influence of collaboration on
becoming an independent learner helps
TABLE 4. Correlations of Independent Learning With Student Satisfaction and Critical-Thinking Skills
Measure
Not overwhelmed
Not bored
Problem-solving skills
Problem-recognition skills
Understanding OM
the learners to become intrinsically
motivated and involved without feeling
overwhelmed. Furthermore, the analysis
demonstrates that independent learning
correlates with critical-thinking skills.
Conclusion
My purpose in this study was to
examine how collaboration influences
understanding of operations management and enhances critical-thinking,
communication, and teamwork skills. I
found that a wide range of collaborative
activities, such as exams, projects, presentations, and practices, were successful tools for teaching quantitative OM
techniques and principles. Students
indicated that they gained more knowledge of operations management and had
a good understanding of the techniques.
Collaboration also helped students see
the relationship of operations management to other business functions. Students also felt that their ability to analyze, formulate, and solve problems and
their strategic-thinking skills were
enhanced by the use of these instructional tools. Although I did not specifically analyze the performance of the
students (this analysis could be undertaken in further studies), I observed
improved performance over the semesters as a result of the collaborative classroom activities. Students’ misconceptions about quantitative knowledge
were substantially reduced, and their
willingness to acquire in-depth understanding and integration of knowledge
was increased.
Today’s global work teams require
employees to communicate and learn
from each other effectively. The results
of this study show that the use of collaboration in the classroom for teaching
Pearson correlation
(N = 31)
Significance
(2-tailed)
.313
.315
.509
.339
.437
.086
.086
.003
.062
.014
and assessing performance prepares students for a collaborative work environment. Students reported that they developed increased skills in working
together as a result of the collaboration
assignments. As students shared what
they know with peers, their communication and group skills also improved significantly.
In addition, collaborative learning
seems to enhance students’ self-confidence in their ability to define problems
and apply knowledge competently to
them. This characteristic makes team
members successful in the long run by
teaching them to manage their own
learning and become independent learners. Overall, this study was successful in
demonstrating the importance of collaborative instructional tools in preparing
business students for the real-world
challenge. The new global collaborative
work environment requires motivated,
self-confident critical thinkers who can
communicate, manage, and make rational decisions. Our role as educators lies
in understanding these emerging needs
and adapting our teaching to engage
learners more effectively in the learning
process.
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