GSS and learning research: a review and assessment of the early studies

Over the past several years, a number of research studies have investigated the application of group support systems (GSS) in the classroom. This paper summarizes and assesses what has been learned from this early set of studies and identifies key research issues for the future. The review of research studies reported in this paper focuses solely on comparative studies investigating the synchronous GSS classroom environment. The literature review includes a summary of methodological issues as well as empirical findings. While research findings regarding learning are somewhat mixed, early indications are encouraging and suggest that GSS may be used to improve learning under certain situations. It is suggested that future research efforts may be enhanced by more closely linking research to theory, building on the research from the field of education, and developing appropriate instruments to measure learning.