The Role of Collaboration and Networking in the Digital Age: Students’ Perspectives

The Role of Collaboration and Networking in the Digital Age: Students’ Perspectives

Nolizwi Gqwabaza & Thabisa Maqoqa

Issue: Vol.5 No.11 Issue Article 11 pp. 1757-1769
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451111 | Published online 5th September, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

44 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

ABSTRACT

In the ever-evolving landscape of the digital age, the dynamics of collaboration and networking have undergone a transformative paradigm shift. This paper delves into the critical role of digital literacy in fostering effective collaboration and networking skills among individuals in various domains. This study is underpinned by online collaborative learning theoretical framework. It provides a model of learning in which students are encouraged and supported to work together to create knowledge. Two notable models provided by this theory are the Community of Inquiry (CoI) and the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) Model. It examines the interaction among technology, learners, and educational content. To gather relevant publications for this study, the researchers utilized search engines such as Google Scholar, IBSS, and Scopus. Publications that met strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were carefully selected, ensuring their pertinence to the subject matter. Out of the 35 articles found, 30 publications were related to the research topic, with 8 being particularly effective in addressing the objective. It was found that the lack of digital resources and the digital divide contribute to poor collaboration and networking. It was recommended that the university management and the Department of Higher Education should prioritize budget allocations for the acquisition of digital resources, ensuring that sufficient funds are dedicated to updating and expanding technology infrastructure. This study contributes to studies of work innovations by increasing the understanding and significance of learning through co-configuration for sustainable innovation in work-life networks.

Keywords: Collaboration, Networking, Transformation, Digital Age, Landscape

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alcácer, Juan, John Cantwell, and Lucia Piscitello. “Internationalization in the Information Age: A New Era for Places, Firms, and International Business Networks?” Journal of International Business Studies. Springer, 2016.

Ally, Mohamed. “Competency profile of the digital and online teacher in future education.” International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning 20, no. 2 (2019).

Anggraini, Rezy, Yenni Rozimela, and Desvalini Anwar. “The Effects of Collaborative Writing on EFL Learners’ Writing Skills and Their Perception of the Strategy.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research 11, no. 2 (2020): 335–41.

Bateman, John A. “What Are Digital Media?” Discourse, Context & Media 41 (2021): 100502.

Becerra-Posada, Tatiana, Paula García-Montes, Anamaría Sagre-Barbosa, María Isabel Carcamo-Espitia, and Jose David Herazo-Rivera. “Project-Based Learning: The Promotion of Communicative Competence and Self-Confidence at a State High School in Colombia.” How 29, no. 2 (2022): 13–31.

Benavides, Lina María Castro, Johnny Alexander Tamayo Arias, Martín Darío Arango Serna, John William Branch Bedoya, and Daniel Burgos. “Digital Transformation in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review.” Sensors 20, no. 11 (2020): 3291.

Carpenter, Jeffrey P., Daniel G. Krutka, and Royce Kimmons. “# RemoteTeaching &# RemoteLearning: Educator tweeting during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Journal of Technology and Teacher Education 28, no. 2 (2020): 151-159.

Cochrane, Ryan, Richard A Spikings, David Chew, Jörn-Frederik Wotzlaw, Massimo Chiaradia, Shane Tyrrell, Urs Schaltegger, and Roelant Van der Lelij. “High Temperature (> 350 C) Thermochronology and Mechanisms of Pb Loss in Apatite.” Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 127 (2014): 39–56.

Cremata, Radio, and Bryan Powell. “Online Music Collaboration Project: Digitally Mediated, Deterritorialized Music Education.” International Journal of Music Education 35, no. 2 (2017): 302–15.

Dillenbourg, Pierre. Collaborative Learning: Cognitive and Computational Approaches. Advances in Learning and Instruction Series. ERIC, 1999.

Fedorova, Alena, Zuzana Dvorakova, Ilze Kacane, Huseyin Atas, and Valeriya Badambayeva. “Monitoring changes at work: cross-cultural difference in employees’ evaluation.” In SHS Web of Conferences, EDP Sciences, 2021, 129, 08006.

Greenhow, Christine, and Cathy Lewin. “Online and Blended Learning: Contexts and Conditions for Education in an Emergency.” British Journal of Educational Technology 52, no. 4 (2021): 1301–5.

Hallikainen, Heli, and Lili Aunimo. “Adoption of Digital Collaborative Networking Platforms in Companies: A Study of Twitter Usage in Finland.” In Boosting Collaborative Networks 4.0: 21st IFIP WG 5.5 Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises, PRO-VE 2020, Valencia, Spain, November 23–25, 2020, Proceedings 21, 98–110. Springer, 2020.

Harasim, Linda. “Assessing Online Collaborative Learning: A Theory, Methodology, and Toolset.” In Flexible Learning in an Information Society, 282–93. IGI Global, 2007.

———. Learning Theory and Online Technologies. Routledge, 2017.

Ilomäki, Liisa, Sami Paavola, Minna Lakkala, and Anna Kantosalo. “Digital Competence–an Emergent Boundary Concept for Policy and Educational Research.” Education and Information Technologies 21 (2016): 655–79.

Jung, Ju Yeon, Tom Steinberger, John L King, and Mark S Ackerman. “How Domain Experts Work with Data: Situating Data Science in the Practices and Settings of Craftwork.” Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction 6, no. CSCW1 (2022): 1–29.

Keegan, Helen, and Frances Bell. “YouTube as a Repository: The Creative Practice of Students as Producers of Open Educational Resources.” European Journal of Open and Distance E-Learning, no. 3 (2011).

Kim, Youngseok, Andrew Eddins, Sajant Anand, Ken Xuan Wei, Ewout Van Den Berg, Sami Rosenblatt, Hasan Nayfeh, Yantao Wu, Michael Zaletel, and Kristan Temme. “Evidence for the Utility of Quantum Computing before Fault Tolerance.” Nature 618, no. 7965 (2023): 500–505.

Knoblauch, Christoph. “Concepts of Experiential Learning in Digital Collaboration: New Perspectives for the Higher Education Sector.” International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning 16, no. 1 (2023).

Kogler, Dieter F, Adam Whittle, Keungoui Kim, and Balázs Lengyel. “Understanding Regional Branching: Knowledge Diversification via Inventor and Firm Collaboration Networks.” Economic Geography 99, no. 5 (2023): 471–98.

Kukreja, Vinay, Rishabh Sharma, Amanpreet Kaur, Ravi Kumar Sachdeva, and Vikas Solanki. “Deep Neural Network for Multi-Classification of Parsley Leaf Spot Disease Detection.” In 2022 2nd International Conference on Advance Computing and Innovative Technologies in Engineering (ICACITE), 1378–82. IEEE, 2022.

Kusnoor, Anita Vijay, Anne C Gill, Catherine L Hatfield, Nancy Ordonez, Rita Dello Stritto, Peggy Landrum, Cayla R Teal, and Nadia Ismail. “An Interprofessional Standardized Patient Case for Improving Collaboration, Shared Accountability, and Respect in Team-Based Family Discussions.” MedEdPORTAL 15 (2019): 10791.

Li, Chuanwei, Hongmei Chen, Tianrui Li, and Xiaoling Yang. “A Stable Community Detection Approach for Complex Network Based on Density Peak Clustering and Label Propagation.” Applied Intelligence 52, no. 2 (2022): 1188–1208.

Li, Ying, Yating Wang, Lei Wang, and Jingci Xie. “Investigating the Effects of Stakeholder Collaboration Strategies on Risk Prevention Performance in a Digital Innovation Ecosystem.” Industrial Management & Data Systems 122, no. 9 (2022): 2045–71.

Li, Zhiguo, and Jie Wang. “The Dynamic Impact of Digital Economy on Carbon Emission Reduction: Evidence City-Level Empirical Data in China.” Journal of Cleaner Production 351 (2022): 131570.

Mahfud, Choirul, Muyasaroh Muyasaroh, Ratna Rintaningrum, Niken Prasetyawati, Dyah S Y Agustin, Ni Wayan Suarmini, Moh Saifulloh, Syahraini Tambak, Ika Yunia Fauzia, and Ahmad Munjin Nasih. “Digital Trends of Social Religious Humanities: Understanding Discourse on Religious Moderation, Pancasila and Citizenship Education in Indonesia.” MODELING: Jurnal Program Studi PGMI 9, no. 2 (2022): 445–52.

Männistö, Merja, Kristina Mikkonen, Heli‐Maria Kuivila, Mari Virtanen, Helvi Kyngäs, and Maria Kääriäinen. “Digital Collaborative Learning in Nursing Education: A Systematic Review.” Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences 34, no. 2 (2020): 280–92.

Mazer, Joseph P, Blair Thompson, Jessica Cherry, Mattie Russell, Holly J Payne, E Gail Kirby, and William Pfohl. “Communication in the Face of a School Crisis: Examining the Volume and Content of Social Media Mentions during Active Shooter Incidents.” Computers in Human Behavior 53 (2015): 238–48.

Miseviciene, Regina, Germanas Budnikas, and Danute Ambraziene. “Application of cloud computing at KTU: Ms live@ edu case.” Informatics in Education 10, no. 2 (2011): 259-270.

Park, Chul Hyun, and Erik W Johnston. “Intentionally Building Relationships between Participatory Online Groups and Formal Organisations for Effective Emergency Response.” Disasters 43, no. 3 (2019): 634–57.

Pavić, Ivana, Veljko Mijušković, and Lajoš Žager. “Which Digital Tools Dominate Secondary and Higher Education in Economics: Google, Microsoft or Zoom?” Business Systems Research: International Journal of the Society for Advancing Innovation and Research in Economy 13, no. 2 (2022): 117–34.

Rocha Salles, Fernanda da, Marcelo Limont, Tatiana Tucunduva Philippi Cortese, and Valdir Fernandes. “Social Capital in a Social Network: Curitiba, a City for Cars.” Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais (RBCIAMB) 57, no. 4 (2022): 519–30.

Saqr, Mohammed, Jalal Nouri, and Ilkka Jormanainen. “A Learning Analytics Study of the Effect of Group Size on Social Dynamics and Performance in Online Collaborative Learning.” In European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning, 466–79. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019.

Shen, Youhua, Lehui Huang, and Xueshi Wu. “Knowledge Map of Digital Learning and Sustainable Development (2004-2022): A Scientometric Analysis by Using Citespace,” 2022.

Silber‐Varod, Vered, Yoram Eshet‐Alkalai, and Nitza Geri. “Tracing Research Trends of 21st‐century Learning Skills.” British Journal of Educational Technology 50, no. 6 (November 18, 2019): 3099–3118. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12753.

Tawafak, Ragad M., Awanis BT Romli, Ruzaini bin Abdullah Arshah, and Sohail Iqbal Malik. “Framework Design of University Communication Model (UCOM) to Enhance Continuous Intentions in Teaching and e-Learning Process.” Education and Information Technologies 25 (2020): 817–43.

Toiviainen, Hanna. “Learning for the Complex Object of Work in a Digital Printing Network.” Studia Paedagogica 23, no. 2 (2018): 25–42.

Truong, Thanh-Cong, and Quoc Bao Diep. “Technological Spotlights of Digital Transformation in Tertiary Education.” IEEE Access, 2023.

Ulanday, Ma Leah, Zarah Jane Centeno, Ma Cristina Bayla, and Joseph Callanta. “Flexible Learning Adaptabilities in the New Normal: E-Learning Resources, Digital Meeting Platforms, Online Learning Systems and Learning Engagement.” Asian Journal of Distance Education 16, no. 2 (2021).

Yegina, Natalia A., Elena S. Zemskova, and Natalia Sh Vatolkina. “Network Education Capital as a Specific Digital Economy Asset.” In ITM Web of Conferences, vol. 35, p. 01023. EDP Sciences, 2020.

Vachkova, Svetlana N., Elena Y. Petryaeva, Marina G. Tsyrenova, Liudmila V. Shukshina, Natalia A. Krasheninnikova, and Mikhail G. Leontev. “Competitive higher education teacher for the digital world.” Contemporary Educational Technology 14, no. 4 (2022): ep391.

Vetoshkina, Liubov, and Hanna Toiviainen. “Learning through Co-Configuration of a Novel Business Model for Sustainable Innovation.” International Journal of Work Innovation 3, no. 1 (2022): 1–27.

Vo, Tho, Truong Dao, and Nguyen Phong. “The Impact of Digital Technology on Content and Language Integrated Learning in Higher Education: A Systematic Review of Literature.” ICTE Conference Proceedings 3 (2023): 137–47.

Wang, Guorong, Yimin Wei, Sanzheng Qiao, Peng Lin, and Yuzhuo Chen. Generalized Inverses: Theory and Computations. Vol. 53. Singapore: Springer, 2018.

Williamson, Ben. “Governing methods: policy innovation labs, design and data science in the digital governance of education.” Journal of Educational Administration and History 47, no. 3 (2015): 251-271.

Williamson, Timothy. “Very improbable knowing.” Erkenntnis 79 (2014): 971-999.

ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Dr. Nolizwi Gqwabaza is currently a lecturer at the Faculty of Education in the Department of Adult and Education Foundations, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Her research focuses on Technology Integration and Collaborative learning.

Dr. Thabisa Maqoqa is currently a permanent lecturer at the Faculty of Education in the Department of Adult and Education Foundations, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Her research focuses on Technology Integration in Mathematics teaching, Creative Coding and Robotics and Sustainable Development in Mathematics Education in the context of 4IR.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Gqwabaza, Nolizwi & Thabisa Maqoqa. “The Role of Collaboration and Networking in the Digital Age: Students’ Perspectives,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.11 (2024):1757-1769. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202451111