Does collaborative learning improve student outcomes for underrepresented students?: Evidence from an online bottleneck business course

Online education has grown exponentially in the past few years. An important aspect of learning that is often missing in online classes is the feeling of social connectedness among students. This paper presents a mixed methods approach using both quantitative and qualitative means to understand the impact and long-term benefits of a collaborative project in an online bottleneck business course for underrepresented students (e.g., some ethnic minority categories like African Americans, Hispanics, etc.). Data analyzed from 80 students showed not only significantly better learning outcomes for this group (as compared with earlier semesters without such an activity) but also increased academic and professional skill acquisition and an enhanced sense of community.