Collaborate like expert designers: An exploratory study of the role of individual preparation activity on students' collaborative learning

Collaboration skill is one of the most critical skill sets for engineers-to-be while university engineering students have challenges engaging in productive collaborative learning practices. This study examined the effect of individual preparation before collaboration on students' collaborative learning outcomes and processes. A total of 82 engineering undergraduates (41 pairs) participated in the study and collaborated under two conditions: immediate collaboration and individual preparation before collaboration. A mixed-method approach was applied in this study. Students' online-design solutions and verbal discussions were collected for both collaborative learning outcomes and process analyses. Students produced higher quality design solutions with individual preparation before collaboration than immediate collaboration. There were different engineering design behavioral patterns under the two conditions, indicating different ways to define the design problem, generate solutions, and analyze and evaluate solutions. The findings and discussion provide insights for innovating pedagogical design to promote collaborative learning efficiency in real-world university classrooms.