How shared online whiteboard supports online collaborative design activities : a social interaction perspective

Abstract

The distance education and online learning have received increasing attention in recent years. However, due to the spatial separation and time differences brought by online learning spaces, the efficiency of the interaction between peers and instructors can be significantly decreased, especially for online collaborative design activities. The online whiteboard was developed to provide users with a virtual whiteboard for visual creation and idea generation, but its effectiveness has not been adequately explored. This study aims to explore whether such an online whiteboard can adequately support users’ communication and collaboration behavior during online collaborative design activities. An in-depth interview was conducted to investigate users’ evaluations based on three social interaction aspects: affective expression, open communication, and group cohesion. The results reveal both the usefulness and drawbacks of the online whiteboard in facilitating participants’ online collaborative design activities. Suggestions for future online collaborative tools are also discussed.