THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COLLABORATIVE LEARING IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM: A STUDY CASE IN UITM KELANTAN BRANCH

Abstract

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted universities, including UiTM, to adopt Online Distance Learning (ODL) as a necessary measure to ensure the safety of students. However, the introduction of the first ODL initiative has been observed to have a demotivating effect on students, as they perform poorly on assessments. The E-peer mentoring programme was implemented to help UiTM students excel in their Mathematics courses as well as to provide emotional support through collaborative learning among peers. This programme was conducted to assess the programme’s effectiveness based on three contributing factors: student motivation, problem-solving skills, and knowledge skills as perceived by the mentee. E-peer mentoring is an online initiative that connects students who struggle with Mathematics with those who excel in the same subject. Participants are divided into small groups consisting of a mentor and five mentees. The program specifically involves 80 students from the Diploma in Mathematical Sciences (CS143) and Diploma in Computer Science (CS110) enrolled in Calculus 1 at the Faculty of Computer Science and Mathematics (FSKM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Kelantan during semester Mac – October 2021.  The notable findings are tested using a variety of statistical analyses, including a normality test (skewness), reliability test (Cronbach’s Alpha), and descriptive and inferential statistics tailored to the students’ gender. The study demonstrates that the E-peer mentoring programme works equally well for students of different genders. Stereotypes about how students perceive peer mentoring are not applicable here. Furthermore, the study discovered a strong relationship between students’ motivation, problem-solving skills, and knowledge skills, indicating that the E-peer mentoring programme is effective (all p-values less than 0.05). Specifically, student motivation and knowledge skills are the most important factors influencing programme effectiveness.