Introduction

Collaborative learning has always been an important part of our education. It boosts our

social interaction with our peers and improves our understanding on the topic due to the

exchange of opinions. It also prepares us for the complex team works that are required for a

modern working environment (Mende et al, 2020). However, during the process of

collaborative learning there are also common conflicts that students encounter. A few

examples of this would be conflicting ideas, unresponsive team and unmatching schedules.

These are challenges that are sometimes things that are hard to overcome in the traditional

setting (Pluta et al, 2013).

Almost 3 years after the COVID-19 breakout, schools are still in the transition of bringing

back the traditional way of learning from modular and online learning. Most schools in the

Philippines are still using blended learning, which is a mixture of online and the traditional face-

to-face way of studying. There are two scenarios in the environment of blended learning in

higher education. First is having face to face classes assigned to certain subjects. Second is

having face to face classes assigned to certain days of the week. In both scenarios, collaborative

activities during the online distance learning are still being implemented (Alvarez, 2020).

The benefits of collaborative discussion during blended learning are still the same as it is

during the traditional way of learning. However, the challenges met by students during online

distance learning may have gone to another degree (Rasheed et al, 2020). Due to the unfamiliar

environment of blended learning, students are expected to have challenges adjusting. During

collaborative activities, students that have adjusted and have not yet adjusted are most likely to

be placed in a same group. The effect of this would either be positive or negative. The adjusted
students may inspire the unadjusted students to perform better or the opposite. This then

questions the effectivity of collaborative activities in this learning mode (Akkoyunlu and Solyu,

2020).

To assess the effectivity of collaborative discussions during blended learning, the

student’s perceptions and challenges should be analyzed. Similar studies around the world

were already conducted. However, there were no studies conducted about this in Cordillera

Administrative Region, specifically the City of Baguio.

Benefits and Beneficiaries

The study will analyze the challenges and perceptions of students on collaborative
discussions during online distance learning (ODL). It will also test the effectivity of collaborative
discussions during ODL.
The study will benefit students and faculty of the locality to create a more effective
learning environment. It will also benefit the country by helping it assume a higher quality of
education.

Research Type
The process of gathering and interpreting numerical data is known as quantitative
research. It can be used to identify trends and averages, formulate hypotheses, examine
causality, and extrapolate findings to larger populations. Similarly, the study is a quantitative
study that used survey and a Likert Scale to collect and analyze data.
References

 Stephan Mende, Antje Proske & Susanne Narciss (2021) Individual preparation for

collaborative learning: Systematic review and synthesis, Educational Psychologist, 56:1,

29-53, DOI: 10.1080/00461520.2020.1828086

 William J. Pluta, Boyd F. Richards & Andrew Mutnick (2013) PBL and Beyond: Trends in

Collaborative Learning, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, 25:sup1, S9-S16, DOI:

10.1080/10401334.2013.842917

 Buket Akkoyunlu, & Meryem Yilmaz Soylu. (2020). A Study of Student’s Perceptions in a

Blended Learning Environment Based on Different Learning Styles. Journal of

Educational Technology & Society, 11(1), 183–193.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.11.1.183

 Rasheed Abubakar Rasheed, Amirrudin Kamsin& Nor Aniza Abdullah. (2020). Challenges

in the online component of blended learning: A systematic review. Computers &

Education, 144, 77-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103701