Researchers (Lou, 2004; Lou, Abrami, & d'Apollonia, 2001; Susman, 1998) have conducted meta-analyses to compare collaborative and individual learning when working with computers. Their consistent findings show that students working in groups outperform students working with computers individually. However, Webb, Ing, Kersting and Nemer (2006) indicate that learning benefits are promoted in the group only when students are able to seek and give elaborated help effectively.

This study examined the effectiveness of computer supported collaborative learning on mathematic problem solving in a blended distance learning course. In this study, the instruction consisted of lectures and face-to-face collaboration, and online homework. The purpose of the study was to determine whether helping strategies instruction used in a designed collaborative learning structure would increase academic achievement in the blended distance learning course compared to the individual help group.

This study utilized 2x2 ANOVA with a repeated measures design. The first factor was group (collaborative help group versus individual help group), and the second factor was occasion (pre-test-post-test). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups—the collaborative help group (n=42) and the individual help group (n=21).

It was hypothesized that the collaborative help group would perform better in content understanding, domain-specific problem solving strategies, domain-independent problem solving strategies (elaboration, adaptive help-seeking strategies and maladaptive help-seeking strategies), and self-regulation (test anxiety, effort, academic efficacy, and control strategies) than would the individual help group. In addition, it was hypothesized that the participants in the collaborative help group would have better teamwork skills (cognitive teamwork scale and interpersonal teamwork scale).

The results showed that the collaborative help group significantly outperformed the individual help group on content understanding. And the collaborative help group requested more helps and asked more questions than did the individual help group. However, the participants in the collaborative help group did not perform any better than those in the individual help group on teamwork skills, problem strategies, and self regulation strategies posttests. This study provided evidence for integrating a problem solving model with collaborative learning components. Educators can use helping strategies training as an instructional strategy to enhance their current collaborative learning design.