Presented by Karla Collins

This study examines a set of collaborative assignments completed in an online course. The reference questions required the students to create and respond to a scenario that might occur in a school library related to the use of reference materials. Two groups of students were studied, each submitting their set of reference questions through an online discussion. One group submitted the assignments in written format and the other group submitted in audio format.

Student scores on the assignments were analyzed, as were responses to survey questions after specific assignments and at the end. There was no statistically significant difference between the scores of the two groups of students. The written group rated their comfort level in the first reference question higher than the audio group, but this was the only difference in survey responses. This study showed no evidence that either written or audio responses were more effective for this online collaborative assignment.

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Karla B. Collins, PhD, is an assistant professor in the School Librarianship Program. She began teaching at Longwood in 2012 after more than 20 years in K-12 schools. Karla teaches both online and hybrid courses for the School Librarianship Program.