Enhancing Team Creative Efficacy Through Online Whiteboard-Based Collaborative Environment in Design Thinking: A Team Cognition Perspective

• Published in: International journal of human-computer interaction Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 2884 - 2897
• Main Author: Liu, Yi-Lin Elim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Norwood Taylor & Francis 04.03.2025; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc
• Subjects: Cognition; Cognition & reasoning; Collaboration; Colleges & universities; Computer-Supported collaborative learning, transactive memory system; Design thinking; Effectiveness; Knowledge management; shared mental model; Students; team creative efficacy; Teams
• ISSN: 1044-7318; 1532-7590; 1044-7318
• DOI: 10.1080/10447318.2024.2404263

In 21st-century higher education, design thinking (DT) has emerged as a pivotal approach, encouraging students to tackle challenges from diverse perspectives and nurture their creative confidence. Collaboration within DT relies on cultivating team cognition, comprising transactive memory systems (TMS) and shared mental models (SMM), which are essential for enhancing team creative efficacy (TCE) through knowledge integration and coordinated efforts. Nowadays, online whiteboard-based collaborative learning environments (OWCLEs) have reshaped DT collaboration, offering affordances for team co-creation activities. However, there is limited research on how OWCLEs support team cognition, potentially impacting TCE. To address this gap, a theoretical model is proposed and validated. Survey data from 128 college students demonstrated that OWCLE affordances directly influence TCE and indirectly improve it by reinforcing team cognition, with SMM playing a crucial role. TMS fosters SMM within teams, subsequently impacting TCE indirectly. This study highlights the potential of leveraging OWCLEs in DT to enhance students' creative efficacy. Additionally, the study stresses the significance of integrating multidisciplinary knowledge to foster TMS, build robust SMMs, and improve TCE.