This paper demonstrates the use of guided reflective practices for communication and collaboration as a means to improve virtual teamwork for undergraduate students engaged in online learning. The literature indicates that communication and collaborative practices are guided by theories based on technological alignment to face-to-face interaction, such as media richness theory (Daft & Lengel , 1986) or media synchronicity theory (Dennis & Valacich, 1999). However, Preece, Rogers and Sharp (2002) argue that designers of interactive collaborative systems need to consider social factors rather than technology. For virtual teamwork, one needs to develop skills that enhance communicative and collaborative activity. The social mechanisms of communication and collaboration, namely conversation, awareness and coordination (Preece et al., 2002), provide a framework to develop such interpersonal skills for online working.

Undergraduate student teams, working virtually, were asked to work collaboratively to design an online seminar and to review other team seminars. During the development of these team tasks, each student was required to submit three logs on the social mechanisms across the development cycle of the team activity. At the conclusion of the activity, students were required to submit a report that included a summary of their three logs of the social mechanisms of communication and collaboration, to discuss the social factors utilized in the technology they used, and to discuss their teamwork activity including success factors of virtual teamwork.

To assess the effectiveness of the guided reflection strategy for improving virtual teamwork, students studying remotely and without face-to-face contact were examined. None of the twenty five students in this category previously knew their team members. All teams achieved the team tasks as required, and all but one student submitted the three reflective logs. Word counts of reflective logs ranged from 100 words to 2000 words, with an average of 600 words. All students demonstrated some understanding and application of each social mechanism of communication and collaboration to their teamwork and technological usage.

There was a direct relationship between student satisfaction with their team activity and understanding of the application of the three social mechanisms. Students who were satisfied with their team outcomes indicated that the three mechanisms enabled them to build stronger interpersonal relationships. Students noted patterns of successful interaction, the importance of the awareness factor when working virtually without face-to-face cues, and the usefulness of the coordination guidelines of shared understanding, schedules of tasks and the external representation of both. Team members who were dissatisfied with their teamwork were not willing to collaborate, and preferred to control the team activity.

In the past iteration of this course, when reflective logs were not required, students noted that team success was built from frequent communication (Egea & Gregor, 2002). This study extends this view to include collaboration, thereby confirming the need for social factors in successful virtual environments. The use of the guided reflections on these three mechanisms of communication and collaboration, it is argued, improve virtual working.