The effect of collaborative learning on perceived engagement and academic outcomes

Educators are constantly searching for ways to engage students. Literature indicates engagement and knowledge co-creation are fundamental for deeper learning. However, the means to achieve this are less understood. In this paper, in-class participation rewards were used to stimulate out-of-class discussion and collaborative learning, the aim being to increase student engagement and positively influence academic outcomes (final grade). Using data from a longitudinal experiment, the findings show the use of in-class rewards motivates students to join an out-of-class (Facebook) group, but doesn’t influence their level of group activity. Interestingly, membership in the group didn’t result in increased perceived engagement, even though it has a positive effect on academic outcomes. The findings also show that group membership has a more positive effect on final grade for international students, despite them not being as active as domestic students during group discussions. Implications for marketing education and suggestions for future research are discussed.