A Delphi Study of Educational Telecollaborative Projects: Identifying Critical Elements and Obstacles

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to collect the knowledge and opinions held by a Delphi panel of leaders and researchers of successful educational telecommunications projects requiring collaboration across multiple sites. A parallel objective was to synthesize and analyze this knowledge and to communicate the results as a resource for people who are interested in creating similar learning environments. The Delphi technique was used to gather information from a panel of seven experts in educational telecollaborative projects about successful elements of these projects as well as obstacles to success. Thirty-one items received high ratings from the panelists and had a high consensus level among the panel. These critical items included 25 essential elements and six highly detrimental obstacles. The conclusions provide guidelines for teachers, students, and project leaders and designers.