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A study of online project-based learning with Gambassa: crossroads of informal contracting and cloud management systems

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A study of online project-based learning with Gambassa: crossroads of informal contracting and cloud management systems

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Content Running head: ONLINE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING WITH GAMBASSA 1

A STUDY OF ONLINE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING WITH GAMBASSA:
CROSSROADS OF INFORMAL CONTRACTING AND CLOUD MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS

by

Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren

__________________________________________________________________________

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2014

Copyright 2014 Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank my Heavenly Father for guiding my steps – Fight On!
I thank my mother and father for teaching me to prioritize religion and education – Fight On!
I thank my husband for his tireless devotion and for persevering with me – Fight On!
I thank my twin sister for always believing in me and for the best friendship ever – Fight On!
I thank my siblings for supporting me from afar – Fight On!
I thank my stepson for his quiet strength and humor – Fight On!
I thank my extended family – aunts, uncle, cousins, nieces, and nephews – Fight On!
I thank my Aunt Pat for showing the family how to Fight On – RIP
I thank my second parents and extended family on my husband’s side – Fight On!
I thank my second twin and high school friend – Fight On!
I thank countless teacher colleagues, both now and in the past – Fight On!
I thank my former RtI
2
crew and my current Common Core crew – Fight On!
I thank the most phenomenal math coach in LAUSD and her family – Fight On!
I thank UC Riverside, UC Berkeley, CSU Dominguez Hills, and USC (alma maters) – Fight On!
I thank the Oakland Unified School District for launching my educational career – Fight On!
I thank the Los Angeles Unified School District for extending my educational career – Fight On!
I thank the United Way of Greater Los Angeles for honoring my educational career – Fight On!
I thank every teacher, administrator, student, and parent that has made me better – Fight On!
I thank Gary Glass and his team for allowing me to conduct a study on Gambassa – Fight On!
I thank the participants for volunteering to be a part of this study – Fight On!
I thank my dissertation chairperson and both committee members – Fight On!
Lastly, I thank myself – Fight On! 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………… ...2
List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………….....4
List of Figures………………………………………………………………………………… ...5
Abstract…………………………………….............................................................................. ...6
Chapter 1: Overview of the Study…………………………………………………………… ...8
Chapter 2: Literature Review………………………………………………………………. ...26
Chapter 3: Methodology……………………………………………………………………....53
Chapter 4: Analysis of Data and Findings………………………………………………….....89
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Implications…………………………………………………....141
References………………………………………………………………………………….. ...162
Appendices
Appendix A: New Tech Rubrics and Commitment Criteria………………………...172
Appendix B: Gambassa Terms of Service………………………………………... ...177
Appendix C: Superintendent, Dean, or Designee Permission to Conduct Study… ...180
Appendix D: Principal or Designee Permission to Conduct Study……………….....182
Appendix E: Recruitment Letter…………………………………………………. ...184
Appendix F: Information Sheet for Teachers and Students……………………… ...186
Appendix G: Teacher and Student Survey……………………………………….. ...188
Appendix H: Interview and Focus Group Welcome Script………………………. ...190
Appendix I: Interview Protocol………………………………………………….. ...191
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Understanding How the Gambassa Concepts Relate: A Basic Class Setup……......64
Table 2. How Schools/Educators Get Started with Gambassa……………………………....65
Table 3. Teacher and School Information………………………………………………… ...68
Table 4. Pilot Interview Protocol…………………………………………………………. ...72
Table 5. Research Question 2 and Proposed Instrument Questions………………………....78
Table 6. Research Question 3 and Proposed Instrument Questions………………………....80
Table 7. Research Question 4 and Proposed Instrument Questions………………………....83
Table 8. Validating the Accuracy of the Information……………………………………….85
Table 9. Data Analysis and Representation Process………………………………………...86
Table 10. Teacher Survey Responses……………………………………………………......101
Table 11. High School Survey Responses…………………………………………………...103
Table 12. College Survey Responses……………………………………………………......105
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. School success rubric — financial requirements……………………………….....43
Figure 2. Edmodo terms of agreement……………………………………………………. ...45
Figure 3. ECHS awards and accomplishments…………………………………………… ...58
Figure 4. Gambassa concepts……………………………………………………………... ...63
Figure 5. Participant ratings for 3 of 5 Gambassa components……………………………...94
Figure 6. Participant ratings for 2 of 5 Gambassa components……………………………...95
Figure 7. Category ratings for Social Engagement………………………………………… .96
Figure 8. Category ratings for Organizational Tools………………………………………. .97
Figure 9. Category ratings for Content Management………………………………………..98
Figure 10. Category ratings for Curricula………………………………………………….....99
Figure 11. Category ratings for E-commerce………………………………………………..100
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ABSTRACT
School districts across the United States are witnessing a resurgence of interest in online Project-
Based Learning (PBL) and its application in the classroom. Online PBL immerses students into
meaningful, real-life situations that necessitate skills in critical thinking, goal setting, problem
solving, and collaboration. However, managing an online PBL project can be cumbersome
without the proper virtual tools. Cloud Management Systems (CMSs) offer one solution to
managing networked PBL projects. CMSs simultaneously provide content storage, project
management, and networking opportunities. Despite these benefits, online PBL services that
require formal contracts and expensive software can limit online PBL implementation in schools.
This particular research study examined Gambassa, a CMS that offers free PBL services and
other virtual tools to teachers and students by way of an informal contract. Transaction cost
economics (TCE) theory was used to frame the study and determine benefits, costs, and the
overall impact of informal contracting on stakeholder groups. Specific features of Gambassa and
their effectiveness were also explored. Data for this qualitative study were collected from
teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator through focus groups, individual interviews, and
surveys. Two high schools and two colleges were included in this study. Salient findings were
noted for each of the five Gambassa components (Social Engagement, Organizational Tools,
Content Management, Curricula, and E-Commerce). The most utilized components for online
PBL were Content Management, Curricula, and Social Engagement. Collectively, students and
teachers gave positive feedback about the integrated capabilities of Gambassa. For the teachers,
Gambassa proved to be a critical asset to PBL implementation. Additional findings revealed
specific transaction costs for teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator. The study
corroborated online PBL through Gambassa as one model for optimizing technology use in the
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21
st
century classroom. This style of course delivery may be essential for preparing students to be
career and college ready. Equally imperative are the benefits of informal contracting, which may
provide immediate access to a CMS that accommodates online PBL. Furthermore, the study
confirmed Gambassa as an invaluable resource for the online PBL experience.
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CHAPTER 1
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Enhanced technology in the 21
st
century has created a “virtual shift” in education. Its rise
in popularity is intersecting with a call for greater technology usage in the classroom. As a result,
technology, specifically in the form of computers and the Internet, has become a major focus of
education policy and reform in recent years. National, state, and local initiatives have provided
schools with computer hardware and software, allowed schools and classrooms to connect to the
Internet, and supported technology-focused professional opportunities for teachers (Coley,
1997). Despite these efforts to equip schools and classrooms with technology, technology usage
during instructional time is not as prevalent as one may suspect. According to the National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES), only 40% of teachers reported that they or their students
regularly use computers in the classroom during instructional time, yet 97% of teachers reported
having one or more working computers located in the classroom for everyday use (NCES, 2010).
These statistics translate to less than two-fifths of the teachers nationwide who incorporate
technology during instructional time. The data represent a clear rationale for enhancing
computer-mediated technology during instructional time, as it relates to Project-Based Learning
(PBL). PBL is an instructional model based on real-life learning simulations that builds essential
skill sets for students in the 21
st
century, such as critical thinking, problem solving, and
collaboration (Wolk, 1994).
In recent years, PBL has increasingly been supported by computer technologies and
services. The role of technology in augmenting authentic forms of learning is necessary to
support the process of doing PBL projects (Laffey, Tupper, Musser, & Wedman, 1998).
Furthermore, when technology accommodates PBL implementation, teachers and students are
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less dependent on worksheets, lectures, and movies (Ullman, 2013). The interactive nature of
gathering research to find solutions to a problem, collaborate amongst peers inside and outside of
the classroom, and organize data necessitates the use of computer-mediated technology during
PBL implementation. Integrating cloud management technology with PBL is also increasing in
popularity. Research studies have recently pointed to the efficacy of networked PBL activities
and how they enhance learning (Buck Institute for Education, 2013). However, technology
services that require formal contracts and expensive software limit and discourage PBL
implementation in schools. This research study further investigates the effectiveness of cloud-
based PBL platforms and the influence of informal contracting on virtual PBL services.
A 21
st
Century Education
The 21
st
century is the dawn of a new era in education. Schools are progressively shifting
their assessment practices from those that measure students’ short-term recall of information to
higher-level thinking. A skilled person in the 20
th
century differs dramatically from the expertise
needed to compete in the 21
st
century. Essential skills are needed for an increasingly information
driven and technologically powered society. In today’s classrooms, the 21
st
Century Skills
movement is transforming how learning is practiced in order to meet the new demands of the 21
st

century. The 21
st
Century Skills are principles of effective learning which include (Trilling &
Fadel, 2009):
• Authentic learning - learning from real world problems and questions
• Mental model building - using physical and virtual models to refine understanding
• Internal motivation - identifying and employing positive emotional connections in
learning
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• Multi-modal learning - applying multiple learning methods for diverse learning
styles
• Social learning - using the power of social interaction to improve learning impact
• International learning - using the world around you to improve teaching and
learning skills
Students benefit from instruction that integrates 21
st
Century Skills because they are prompted to
use reasoning and problem-solving skills that promote higher-level thinking. They are also
encouraged to transfer and apply these skills into their everyday lives.
According to Trilling and Fadel (2009), in order to be productive contributors to society
in the 21
st
century, people need to “quickly learn the core content of a field of knowledge while
also mastering a broad portfolio of essentials in learning, innovation, technology, and career
skills needed for work and life” (p. 16). These “essentials” are emphasized in the Common Core
State Standards (CCSS) and PBL, two initiatives designed to prepare students for the 21
st

century. The CCSS are nationalized standards in ELA and Math that all participating states are
expected to implement. Formal adoption of these standards will take place in forty-eight states
during the 2014-2015 school year. Similar to 21
st
Century Skills, the new CCSS prepare students
to be college and career ready (CCR) by teaching them to go deeper for conceptual knowledge
and to critically reflect in all situations. Students are also equipped with skills to do the following
(Fletcher, 2010):
• Demonstrate independence
• Build content knowledge
• Respond to varying demands of audience, task purpose, and discipline
• Comprehend as well as critique
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• Value evidence
• Use technology and digital media strategically and capably
• Come to understand other perspectives and cultures
These relevant learning experiences encourage the transfer of knowledge to real world situations,
thus enabling students to compete locally and globally – the ultimate goal of Project-Based
Learning in the 21
st
century (Global SchoolNet, 2006).
Project-Based Learning
The paradigm shift toward 21
st
Century Skills and the new CCSS directly relates to
Project-Based Learning. PBL stems from a constructivist approach to learning, where learners
engage in authentic tasks and create meaning through active learning (Jimenez-Eliaeson, 2010).
Bonwell and Eison (1991) popularized this approach to instruction, which focuses the
responsibility of learning on the learner. Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a “learning by doing”
approach that is beginning to supplement, and even replace, traditional methods of lecturing and
note-taking as an everyday school practice (Wolk, 1994). The concept of Project-Based Learning
is not new. William Heard Kilpatrick, an esteemed Professor at Columbia Teachers College,
coined the idea in the early 20th century. Kilpatrick (1918) advocated the use of projects that
engender purposeful activity and student interest. PBL has since become an innovative approach
to fostering student-directed inquiry of problems in a real-world setting (Barak & Dori, 2005).
PBL supplements the regular course of instruction with projects that promote inquiry,
collaboration, engagement and motivation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Overall,
PBL is designed to enhance existing instruction by providing more flexibility, responsibility, and
accountability to teachers and students as they engage in research and inquiry (Wolk, 1994).
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PBL is also understood as a reform effort that challenges traditional components of
instruction – namely confinement to a single classroom, limited face-to-face interactions,
textbook dependency, and teacher-initiated tasks – all of which may inhibit creativity and access
to enhanced communication with the outside world. Due to its interactive communicative
function, PBL presents more opportunities to transform the way people communicate and
problem-solve. PBL can also involve a public audience that goes beyond the teacher and the
classroom, most of which is orchestrated on the Internet (ChanLin, 2008). The Internet allows
students to simultaneously interact with their peers through blogs, emails, chats, and/or video
conferencing, all while completing a project.
PBL Implementation With Technology
Research supports the use of online technology as a vital practice for maximizing PBL
implementation. The Cloud Management System (CMS) offers a unique solution for increased
technology use during PBL (New Tech Network, 2013). A CMS is a computer program that
organizes information/content from one central interface, such as a website. The management of
information is exhibited through creating, editing, publishing, and archiving content (White,
2005). The purpose of CMS use with PBL is to facilitate collaborative content creation, often
through projects, video media and other assignments that involve data collection or storage
(Roebuck, 2011). EdModo is one type of CMS used for PBL implementation. It is accessible to
any educator with Internet access and includes a free social learning platform. EdModo also
provides teachers and students with a secure place to connect, collaborate, and share content
(Dobler, 2012). For these reasons, EdModo is known to support PBL implementation and online
learning.
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The core function of a CMS is to present information on a website (Boiko, 2005). For
PBL, students engage in learning by sharing, discussing, and collaborating on projects through a
CMS website. Teachers can also store and manage classroom data on the website, such as
assessments, assignments, and projects. A quality CMS offers smooth and collaborative
management of content for students and teachers. Some CMS services are free, accessible, and
readily available on any mobile device. This accessibility makes it easier for teachers and
students to engage in PBL. A CMS enhances PBL implementation by broadening teacher and
student capability in web-based efficiency and project management. For example, repetitive use
of a CMS prompts teachers and students to not only utilize technology on a daily basis, but to
explore better ways to manage and complete projects. This results in increased efficiency and
competency with an online platform. A CMS also increases the scale of effective long-term PBL
implementation because it leverages the skills, knowledge, and resources of academic staff,
students, and partner organizations (Jarrahi, 2010). These skills, resources, and knowledge bases
would be harder to leverage without the use of a website or CMS.
For clarification purposes, it is important to note the difference between a Learning
Management System (LMS) and a CMS. LMSs provide another type of interface used for
managing content. Although an LMS may offer similar features to a CMS, it should not be
confused with a CMS. LMSs are specifically designed to manage educational records and track
progress through attendance, grades, quizzes and assignments (Szabo & Flesher, 2002). LMSs
are also more limiting structures with an interface and functionalities that have very specific
uses. The Moodle website is one popular LMS used in education. Moodle is an acronym that
stands for Modular Object Oriented Developmental Learning Environment (Moodle, 2013).
Moodle’s popularity relates to its accessibility to all users with Internet access. There is also no
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fee to create an account. Moodle helps educators create online courses and includes additional
features such as calendars, discussion forums, and assignment submission (Moodle, 2013).
PBL Implementation Without Technology
PBL implementation without computer technology can pose several challenges for
teachers. The decision to implement PBL across a school system without technology raises
questions of how to assess more open-ended learning, application of multiple concepts, storing
content, and collaboration outside of the classroom (Boss, 2012). There are other methods of
storing content, such as excel spreadsheets and Microsoft Word, but even they pale in
comparison to the benefits that a CMS provides. Jimenez-Eliaeson (2010) posits that without
advanced technology, teachers cannot adequately accommodate the multiple methods of learning
(i.e. collaboration, presentation, and video conferencing) required for PBL implementation.
Limited technology forces teachers to rely on antiquated methods of managing data/content (i.e.
files, hard copies, binders, and folders). Managing data with limited technology is further
compounded with large numbers of student participants. Although there are resources and
software programs available to assist with content/data management, many of these PBL services
are expensive and/or require a contract (New Tech Network, 2013). As a result, it is important to
understand how contracts relate to CMS use and PBL implementation.
Contracting for PBL Services
Current CMS platforms specifically designed to foster PBL implementation are rarely
free and available without an official contract between the vendor and the firms (schools and
teachers) using the platform. The New Tech Network, a national nonprofit that works with over
120 high schools in promoting deeper learning through PBL, contracts with schools to use their
Echo software and other services (Ullam, 2013). Echo is another type of CMS that integrates
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Google Apps for Education to support project collaboration and facilitate communication among
parents, students, and teachers (Echo, 2013). Every application (or app) works seamlessly with
the others to transform one’s digital experience. While these services are beneficial, they are not
free and readily available to any outside user. Teachers and students must first belong to a school
that is contracted with the New Tech Network. Since the Echo software is only available to
schools within the network, teachers and students need a password to access the Echo
technology. The New Tech Network is also limited to high schools. For these reasons, among
others that will be discussed later in the study, PBL has not been more widely adopted in schools
across the nation. Hence, a new and free CMS, called Gambassa, is currently being developed to
enhance PBL implementation. Gambassa is a free CMS that is specifically designed for PBL
(Gambassa, 2013).
PBL Implementation With Gambassa
Gambassa is a multi-faceted CMS designed to facilitate PBL (also activity and service-
based learning) through technology (Gambassa, 2013). Its educational purpose is to transform
PBL by integrating advanced technology and pedagogy. More specifically, it is free, cloud-
based, and accessible on any modern device, mobile, desktop, laptop, or tablet from anywhere
there is an Internet connection. Members are given profiles that allow them to connect with each
other, teachers, and other groups, also instituted through a newsfeed. Perks of membership
include: messaging, video library, audio library, image library, link manager, contact manager,
Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds, web page creation, File Server, Word Processing, blogging,
discussions, tasks, event management, calendaring, subscriptions and more (Gambassa, 2013).
These assets can be integrated into discussions and assignments as well. Most importantly,
teachers can set up an account regardless if their school is implementing PBL or not. There is
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16
also no contract required to utilize the services. The Gambassa website is available to any
educator interested in using the platform for PBL implementation or other digital purposes.
Although Gambassa does not formally contract with teachers and schools, there are still
transaction costs associated with the exchange. Transaction costs for the school could include
time, usability, perceived quality, accessibility, and efficiency (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez,
2008). Transaction costs for Gambassa could include time, advertising (is word spreading fast
enough about the program – are advertisers using the website to promote their products),
technological advances, and maintaining the website. The transaction costs for Gambassa and its
users are relatively low, especially when considering the informal/non-binding contract. At any
point in time, either party can walk away without legalities and punitive damages. In addition to
exploring CMS technology with PBL, this study seeks to further investigate informal contracting
through the lens of Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), as it applies to Gambassa and PBL
implementation.
Conceptual Underpinnings for the Study
Transaction cost economics (TCE) examines the transaction as the basic unit of analysis,
instead of the organization (Williamson, 2010). This “unit” is the transaction between two
parties, in this case Gambassa (CMS) and the school, teacher, or student implementing PBL. In
economics and other related disciplines, a transaction cost is a cost incurred when making an
economic exchange (Malone, Yates, & Benjamin, 1987). According to Macher and Richman
(2008), costs involved in “buying” a product or making an economic trade include, but are not
limited to: search and information costs (costs incurred from researching the best
provider/lowest cost), bargaining costs (costs incurred from drawing up an appropriate contract),
and monitoring and evaluation costs (costs incurred from ensuring that the other party adheres to
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the terms of the contract). Other abstract costs include symbolic costs (product use without
monetary exchange) and philosophical costs (how values are perceived). These examples support
the argument that not all costs derived from an exchange are monetary. Other non-monetary
factors included in a transaction are obligations of the vendor and expectations of the consumers
(persons using the product). Alternatively, the “make” model also eliminates transactions with a
vendor (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008).
Buy vs. Make
Transaction cost economics (TCE) lends itself toward a “buy” vs. “make” model
(Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008). Economically, the decision to integrate CMS use with PBL
leaves teachers and schools with one of two options: (1) “make” or create a CMS platform that
ameliorates PBL implementation, or (2) “buy” one. “Buy” in this case refers to investing in or
utilizing an outside CMS to assist with PBL implementation. The first option relates to product
development, where teachers and/or schools exert their own time, effort, and energy into making
an in-house CMS product, also known as vertical integration (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008).
Creating a CMS requires expertise and skill in developing a website that meets the needs of PBL
implementation. While possible, it is unlikely that the majority of teachers and schools would
exercise this option. As a result, teachers and schools may consider the “buy” option as the more
realistic choice.
There are many websites available to educators that foster content management, such as
Moodle and EdModo. Similarly, educators with access to the Internet are free to explore the
different options. However, one major concern regarding CMSs is that they are not all
specifically designed for PBL. PBL typically requires a unique CMS that is conducive and
specific to PBL implementation. The latter complicates the make option, if chosen by teachers or
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schools. The buy option poses other challenges as well. Cloud-based software that supports PBL
implementation can be costly for schools, especially those encountering budgetary constraints
(New Tech Network, 2013). Schools must also have technological resources at their disposal,
such as laptop carts, computer labs, maintenance technicians, and a solid wireless network. More
student participants also require more technology.
Lamoreaux, Raff, and Temin (2002) assert that the magnitude and complexity of the
transaction influences the type of trade, resulting in either vertical integration (internal policies
governing the transaction) or outsourcing (external [markets] policies governing the transaction)
Vertical integration and outsourcing also relate to the concept of “buy” versus “make,” where
decisions to invest in a local service or external service are made (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez,
2008). For this study, “buy” implies using a CMS (such as Gambassa) to enhance PBL
implementation, while “make” refers to teachers or schools creating their own platform to assist
with PBL implementation. An example of vertical integration (make) includes teachers or
schools designing their own CMS for PBL implementation. Alternatively, outsourcing (buy)
involves teachers or schools choosing to use a CMS developed outside of the school, such as
Gambassa. Transaction costs, vertical integration, and outsourcing are all elements of TCE that
pertain to this study. TCE will be used as a lens to explore informal contracting between the
vendor (Gambassa) and the users, and the transaction costs associated with this agreement. TCE
is also the framework used to examine economic activity (buy vs. make) between the vendor and
the users, namely teachers and students.
Statement of the Problem
Teachers are often inundated with new initiatives targeted at reforming education. As a
result, they are routine consumers, recipients, and/or agents of imposed programs and
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curriculums by school districts and the state. Even with good intentions, some of these initiatives
create more anxieties toward implementation efforts than excitement. PBL is no exception. PBL
is known to place rigorous demands on learners and instructors as they challenge the traditional
practices and support structures of schools (Laffey, Tupper, Musser, & Wedman, 1998). These
demands include assessing abstract concepts, such as critical thinking and problem-solving.
Teachers must also figure out how to organize and mange the various components of PBL. These
components include data, videos, blogs, emails, and research (to name a few). Actively engaging
in these complex, challenging, and authentic projects requires resourcefulness and planning, new
forms of knowledge representation in school, expanded mechanisms for collaboration and
communication through technology, and support for organization, reflection and authentic
assessment (Laffey et al., 1998). Overcoming these challenges is necessary for successful
implementation of PBL.
This study examines the pedagogical effectiveness of CMSs as they relate to PBL
implementation. These computer-mediated support systems/websites have potential to broaden
the scope of PBL, while scaffolding effective implementation (Global SchoolNet, 2006).
Comprehensive platforms, such as CMSs, can inspire more teachers and students to engage in
PBL. However, without an effective means for organizing and managing content, teachers and
students might otherwise disregard PBL as an innovative approach to inquiry and learning.
Availability and access to comprehensive platforms/CMSs can be problematic for educators.
While the Internet offers many free websites for curriculum development, those that pertain to
PBL often require some form of contractual agreement for product use. There is also an apparent
gap in the research on CMSs specifically designed for PBL implementation. The gap in research
makes it difficult to examine how CMSs truly facilitate student learning within PBL. A sense of
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20
urgency to evaluate the impact of CMSs on PBL implementation is therefore necessary. It is
equally imperative to investigate the contractual relationships, whether formal and informal,
fostered by PBL and CMS implementation to determine compliance and efficiency of product
development.
Purpose of the Study
This qualitative study seeks to examine the relationships forged in the process of creating
Gambassa and the influence of informal contracting with firms using the platform. The
investigative activities are twofold: (1) to explore specific components of Gambassa that bolster
PBL implementation and its usefulness in high school and higher education; and (2) to gather
and examine data on specific transaction costs related to informal contracting that effect teachers,
students, and the Gambassa Creator.
Research Questions
This study explores the following research questions:
1. What specific features of the Gambassa platform appear to be of greater value to
some stakeholders than others and how effective is Gambassa for PBL
implementation across different disciplines?
2. What are the relative merits of Gambassa over alternatives as perceived by the
teachers and students?
3. How are the promises and expectations of Gambassa manifested in participating
schools without an official contract, and what costs and benefits are associated with
this agreement? In other words, what do teachers and students expect to get and give
by using this vendor?
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4. What transaction costs are associated with managing Gambassa and what does the
vendor expect to get and give in working with the teachers?
Hypothesis
The hypothesis for this study is that digital tools, such as CMSs, are necessary to
transform PBL implementation in the 21
st
century and to enhance a learner's ability to easily
access and manage projects online. Additionally, informal contracting promotes more flexibility
and access of CMS use for PBL implementation. This access is necessary for reducing barriers
and statistical odds against PBL success in schools that lack the funds to purchase software or
engage in formal contracting for PBL services. If schools use digital tools such as Gambassa to
implement PBL, then student motivation and achievement will increase. Similarly, if schools
engage in informal contracting for CMS use, the likelihood of PBL implementation will increase.
Significance of the Study
The significance of this study is to determine weather or not CMS use will increase PBL
implementation, and whether or not informal contracting positively influences this decision. The
study also contributes to enhanced technology usage during instruction. This dissertation study
will equip educators with knowledge of effective platforms for PBL implementation. Educators
have a moral obligation to provide their students with the latest technology during classroom
instruction. Finally, the research provides a significant contribution to effective instructional
models for the 21
st
century.
Limitations, Assumptions, and Design Controls
Inherent in all qualitative studies are limitations related to data collection. Richards and
Morse (2007) have argued that “any study (qualitative or quantitative) is only as good as the
researcher. In qualitative research, this is particularly so because the researcher is the instrument”
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(Morse, 2007, p. 190). This observation holds true for the present research. To ensure that the
structured interviews (also the data collection tool for this research) lead to accurate data, the
researcher enlisted the help of the dissertation chairperson and inquiry methods Professor to
refine the questions. One major limitation of this study is the willingness of the subjects to
participate in the study. The researcher will invite participants from numerous schools, but has
no control over who actually participates in the study. A further limitation is the sample size.
This study represents a fraction of teachers who use a CMS to implement PBL, which
significantly limits the broader application of the research findings. Attempts to extrapolate
information and conclusions gained from the research to reflect the lived experience of other
school districts or the entire state would yield inaccurate results.
The researcher assumes that participants reported their experiences honestly and
candidly. Although pseudonyms were be used to protect confidentiality, there is the possibility
that participants may skew their responses to achieve a desired effect. This phenomenon is
known as a social threat to construct validity (Trochim, 2006). It is further assumed that students
communicate with each other and the teacher, which includes discussions about the Gambassa
website. Through this exchange, the students developed their personal construct of what
Gambassa means to them. When considering computer-mediated technology, it is assumed that
the technology necessary for this study will remain functional. At the school site, the technology
department or technology coordinator is responsible for the computer servers that house the
Gambassa website and for maintaining user accessibility. The technology coordinator is also
responsible for maintaining the school’s computer network and equipment. The researcher has
no control over the functionality of these integral components.
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Definition of Key Terms
Complex Exchanges. A continuous transaction – can be more than one transaction
(Tadelis & Williamson, 2012).
Cloud Management Systems (CMS). A computer program, such as a website, that
allows publishing, editing, and modifying content as well as maintenance from a central interface
(White, 2005).
Contract. A legal or formal agreement between two or more parties (Macher &
Richman, 2008).
Curriculum. The subject(s) being taught (also a set of courses). Some examples are
math, science, English, and history (Tyler, 1949).
Economies of Scale. The production of a product at its lowest cost (Lamoreauz, Raff, &
Temin, 2002).
Externalities. Positive or negative outcomes that happen as a result of the transaction
that are not governed by the rules of the transaction (Williamson, 2008).
Governance. Infusing order to mitigate conflicts and realize mutual gain. In other words,
the “rules of the game.” (Williamson, 2010).
Informal Contract. A simple contract between two or more parties.
Multiple Modes of Governance. Examples include bureaucracy, markets, and firms
(business-to-business) (Tadelis & Williamson, 2012).
Outsourcing. Occurs when all products and/or services are manufactured outside of the
country or host company/business/corporation (Gupta, Herath, & Mikouiza, 2005).
Project-Based Learning (PBL). An instructional method centered on the learner that
allows in-depth investigation of a topic. Learners represent what they have learned through the
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construction of a personally-meaningful artifact, which may be a play, a multimedia
presentation, or other form of presentation (Grant, 2002).
RSS (Rich Site Summary). Uses a family of standard web feed formats to publish
frequently updated information: blog entries, news headlines, audio, video (Wikipedia, 2013).
Simple Exchange. A one-time transaction (Tadelis & Williamson, 2012).
Supply Chain Management (SCM). The management of networks in a supply chain,
such as assembly lines, scheduling, and movement of cargo/packages/containers/mail
(Williamson, 2008).
Transaction Cost Economics (TCE). The costs and difficulties associated with an
economic exchange between two or more parties. These costs are generally related to contractual
agreements (Macher & Richman, 2008; Malone, Yates, & Benjamin, 1987).
Unit of Analysis. The transaction between two parties (Tadelis & Williamson, 2012).
Vertical Integration. Occurs when all products are manufactured “in-house”
(Lamoreaux, Raff, & Temin, 2002).
Summary
PBL’s ability to stimulate learning makes it a powerful tool in which to deliver
curriculum and conduct education. As PBL becomes more prevalent in schools across the nation,
so does the need for effective solutions in managing implementation and transforming computer-
mediated technology in the classroom (Global SchoolNet, 2006). This study allows for extended
conversations regarding the integration of PBL with a CMS, using TCE theory as a lens to
further investigate how contractual relationships are formed and why teachers may seek to invest
in an external (buy) CMS versus one that is internally created (make). The significance of the
study lies in its focus on three perspectives – the teachers, students, and Gambassa president.
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Readers will benefit from the increased knowledge and insight from multiple perspectives.
Lastly, the benefits and/or drawbacks of informal contracting will be further explored.
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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The discourse on Project-Based Learning exists to promote curriculum that is authentic,
meaningful, and applicable. The more prepared teachers are at delivering, organizing, and
assessing PBL, the better they will become at accelerating student achievement and equipping
students with 21
st
Century Skills. That being said, this chapter provides an overview of the
literature pertaining to the origins and principles of PBL implementation and the role that
technology plays in managing these projects. Relevant research in the areas of technology use,
more specifically Cloud Management Systems and virtual/e-learning, is analyzed to support this
study. After examining the origins of PBL and the evolution of the model through a CMS, the
Transaction Cost Economics theory is also further defined and explored to provide a context for
the study. In particular, the TCE lens was used to describe informal contracting for product
development and the transaction costs associated with exchanges between the vendor and the
firm(s). TCE theory also provides a common understanding of the “buy” vs. “make” model as it
relates to PBL implementation (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008). This study allows for
extended conversations regarding the integration of PBL with a CMS, using TCE theory as a lens
to further investigate how contractual relationships are formed and why teachers may seek to
invest in an external (buy) CMS versus one that is internally created (make).
Although a substantial amount of literature exists on educational technology and PBL,
less research has focused specifically on using a CMS website to foster PBL implementation.
The status of CMS use in contemporary education programs, such as PBL, is therefore in need of
being addressed. As the use of CMSs in PBL education continues to emerge, this literature
review attempts to broaden the knowledge base on these topics. A number of resources were
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leveraged in conducting the literature review. They include the on-line USC library, other
university libraries, peer-reviewed journals, empirical studies, books, dissertations, and the
Internet. These sources were useful in locating pertinent information and the references
prompted more interest and intrigue toward the relevant topics. However, it should be noted that
these sources did not reveal an extensive body of research on CMS use for PBL, neither did they
provide much insight on informal contracting as it relates to CMS use and PBL implementation.
Despite some of these drawbacks, corresponding literature on the topics of interest were still be
reviewed.
Defining the Curriculum of Project-Based Learning
At its root, curriculum deals with the central question of what is worth knowing,
experiencing, doing, and being (Schubert, 2010). Tyler (1949) is one of the originating authors of
the basic principles of curriculum and instruction. According to Tyler (1949), curriculum is
defined through associations of the learner (students), scholars (researchers and subject
specialists), and society. In order for a curriculum to be grounded in a rationale for application
and utilization, Tyler (1949) necessitates that three sources be considered. Essentially, the
students experience the learning, the researchers inform the learning, and society influences the
learning. Curriculum is also an integral part of instruction and learning (Tyler, 1949). For many
districts and schools, the curriculum represents a roadmap to guide instructional practices that are
lecture-based and/or internet-based. As schools experience unparalleled cultural, linguistic, and
ethnic diversity, curriculum is one source that can bridge equity and access for institutions of
learning. Similarly, an internet-based curriculum can more effectively gather and connect
students of diverse backgrounds.
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Tyler (1949) argues that a quality curriculum considers the context of its recipients
(learners). He contends that without a context of the learner, enhancing student success may be
misguided and disjointed. To circumvent these outcomes, Tyler (1949) proposes that teachers
acknowledge and incorporate student interest into the curriculum. Tyler (1949) recognizes the
critical importance of using student interest to engage students in subject matter that
accommodates their eclectic needs. Where interests are desirables ones, they provide the starting
point for effective instruction (Tyler, 1949). Alternatively, where interests are undesirables,
narrow, or limited, students are less likely to engage in learning and it is harder to bring about
significant changes in their behavior. McTighe, Seif, and Wiggins (2010) attribute these changes
in behavior/student perceptions to authentic learning experiences that enhance student
engagement and understanding of important facts.
The question remains, “How do educators use curriculum to stimulate the highest level of
achievement in students?” According to Gardner (2006), it is less practical to praise random
student achievement and more desirable to admire achievement that stems from critical thinking,
going deeper for conceptual knowledge, and exercising multiple intelligences. PBL
implementation is one avenue for ensuring practices that promote 21
st
Century Skills and critical
thinking (Wolk, 1994). Once teachers become efficacious in teaching these skills along with
PBL, they can appropriately deliver the content in the classroom. Because Project-Based
Learning is a type of curriculum, the stated research is relevant and applicable to this study.
A Philosophical and Psychological Rationale for PBL
Tyler (1949) asserts that curriculum is substantiated by a philosophical and psychological
rationale. A philosophical rationale speaks to basic values aimed at enhancing the educational
program of a school. A psychological rationale enables educators to distinguish a change in
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human behavior as a result of the learning process. Philosophically, educators should encourage
their students to embrace their membership in society by observing something they can change
or improve in their environment (Tyler, 1949). As students become more adept at internalizing
their responsibility to bring about social change, the job of the educator is to carefully create
contexts, environments, or units of work that stimulate growth in people as they construct
meaning for themselves. In essence, PBL could be interpreted as the place where philosophy and
practice meet. PBL also includes a psychological rationale that supports teaching for meaning
because students apply knowledge and skills in meaningful, authentic tasks. Consequently,
students experience a change in their perception towards learning because they are interested,
engaged, and involved in the learning and problem solving process – the ultimate purpose of
PBL (Wolk, 1994).
Spector (2008) is another researcher who presented the psychology of learning as a
critical foundation area, especially for research in educational communications and technology.
He indicates that behavior and development of knowledge and skills are “the bedrock on which
educational communications and technology rest” (Spector, 2008, p. 23). It is therefore necessary
for educators to better understand how learning occurs and how to facilitate the process. In this
study, sound pedagogical practices, such as PBL, present opportunities for students to engage in
social and cognitive constructivism through virtual learning. According to Kaplan (2012), there
are different kinds of pedagogical practices and philosophical ideals. Learning experiences are
rooted in these practices and ideals. The four practices are (Schiro, 2008):
1. Perennialism (classical education; learning Latin and Latin roots)
2. Essentialism (3 “R’s” of education – reading, writing, and arithmetic)
3. Progressivism (learning geared to a student’s developmental level)
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4. Constructivism (students lead their learning experience by solving or mitigating a
problem in society and findings creative ways to contribute to society)
These four ideologies provide the framework for units or courses of study, lesson plans,
and independent study. Regarding PBL, constructivism is the dominant pedagogical practice
because students encounter a “change in thinking” about society in order to better understand the
world around them (Schiro, 2008). The teachers and/or students use the learning experiences
attained from these practices to achieve anticipated outcomes of learning. Tyler (1949) explains
learning experiences as those that include the following:
• How learning takes place
• What the LEARNER does through development (NOT the teacher)
• Allow students to practice
• Allow for student satisfaction (develop interest)
• Are appropriate to student attainment
• Provide many particular experiences
• Has social outcomes
• Has sequence (builds on one another)
• Has continuity (things relate to one another)
• Acquire information: should encourage thinking, stimulate remembering, and use
information in a variety of conflicts
• Develop social attitudes
The aforementioned ideologies and learning experiences relate to distinct beliefs about
the inherent nature of children, what school learning consists of, and how teachers should
instruct and assess children. These learning experiences also play a key role in effective PBL
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implementation. Since PBL lends itself toward constructivism, the psychology and philosophy of
learning are essential considerations for this study (Global SchoolNet, 2006).
Features of Project-Based Learning
Project-based learning (PBL) is a model that organizes learning around projects. The
projects include complex tasks based on challenging questions or problems that involve students
in design, problem solving, decision-making, or investigative activities (Thomas, 2000). While
most projects include reading, writing, and mathematics by nature, many inquiries are science-
based or originate from social problems. The projects generally culminate in realistic products or
presentations. Other defining features include authentic questioning (inquiry), cooperative
learning, teacher facilitation (versus direct instruction), and technology-based tools (Wolk,
1994). Students who participate in PBL benefit from improved critical thinking and problem-
solving skills. These students emerge with useful, real-world content knowledge that they can
apply to a variety of tasks (Boaler, 1997). Overall, students gain a deeper understanding of the
concepts and standards at the heart of a project. These projects build vital workplace skills and
lifelong habits of learning.
PBL is also a key strategy for creating independent thinkers and learners. Students solve
real-world problems by designing their own inquiries, planning their learning, organizing their
research, and implementing a multitude of learning strategies (Bell, 2010). Students flourish
under this student-centered, motivating approach to learning and they gain valuable skills that
build a strong foundation for their future. More importantly, PBL should not be viewed as a
supplementary activity to support learning. Bell (2010) asserts that PBL is the basis of the
curriculum. The outcome of PBL is greater understanding of a topic, deeper learning, higher-
level thinking, and increased motivation to learn, which is the purpose of many curriculums.
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Five criteria are necessary for determining the authenticity of projects used for PBL. The
criteria are centrality (projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum), driving question
(projects are focused on questions and problems that “drive” students to encounter the concepts
and principles of a discipline), constructive investigation (projects involve students in a
constructive investigation), autonomy (projects are student-driven to a significant degree), and
realism (projects address realistic problems/concerns in society) (Thomas, 2000). While allowing
for some degree of student “voice and choice,” rigorous projects are carefully planned, managed,
and assessed to help student learn key academic content, practice 21
st
Century Skills, and create
high-quality, authentic products and presentations (BIE, 2013). ChanLin (2008) contends that if
we are truly serious about reaching 21
st
century educational goals, PBL must be the center of 21
st
century instruction.
The Transformation of PBL
Over the years, research on PBL has expanded from a specific kind of problem-based
learning in medical schools to a wider variety of practices, subjects and grade levels (Walker &
Leary, 2008). Taken as a whole, with the exception of memorization for short-term learning,
PBL has proven to be as effective as traditional approaches, and in many studies superior (Buck
Institute for Education, 2010; Edutopia, 2001; Geier, et al., 2008; Strobel & van Barneveld,
2009; Walker & Leary, 2009). PBL is another dimension of learning that influences what and
how we learn, and how we think about learning.
The increasing number of schools receiving PBL training and materials has more than
tripled since 2001 (Ravitz & Blazevski, 2010). Evidence of heightened interest is provided by the
growth of websites that emphasize PBL as a core instructional concept (i.e. Edutopia, Echo, and
the Buck Institute for Education), inclusion of PBL in policy documents from the National
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Middle School Association (Yetkiner, Anderoglu, & Capraro, 2008) and the National High
School Center (Harris, Cohen, & Flaherty, 2008), and even state-wide efforts, notably in West
Virginia (Williamson, 2008) and Indiana (Indiana University, 2008). To a large extent, PBL has
been embraced as a reform model that is a central component of instruction (Pearlman, 2002;
Newell, 2003). In a sense, PBL demands that we rethink power relations between students and
teachers. It is an instructional reform model that requires teachers to be facilitators of learning,
while encouraging students to take more control over their learning. Instead of teachers
dispensing all the knowledge, students play an active role in presenting content. PBL represents a
more collaborative and less hierarchical way of learning (Stommel, 2013). According to Chubb
and Moe (1990), this style of learning is best executed when competition is encouraged and
thoughtful guidelines for implementing an equitable and effective system of educational choice
are provided. They argue that competition and schools choice promote school autonomy – thus
providing a firm foundation for genuine school improvement and superior student achievement
(Chubb & Moe, 1990).
Projects vs. Project-Based Learning
From term papers to Web pages, the “project” has become the standard activity in many
instructional units. The question is, “Are students constructing knowledge as they construct
projects?” There is more to developing a meaningful project than simply choosing a topic and
writing a paper (Lamb, Johnson, & Smith, 1997). Students need to engage in tasks that require
thinking deeply about important concepts, versus just carrying out procedures. Thomas (2000)
asserts that there is a longstanding tradition in schools for “doing projects,” incorporating
“hands-on” activities, developing interdisciplinary themes, conducting field trips, and
implementing laboratory investigations. However, Tobin, Tippins, and Gallard (1994) argue that
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work on activities characterized as “hands-on” may not necessarily be “minds-on.” In other
words, achievement gained from a hands-on activity does not guarantee critical thinking. PBL
projects are inquiry-based, cognitively stimulating, and challenging. As a result, students walk
away with an experience that is life-changing and the ability to critically think and reflect on
their learning.
PBL is intended to frame the curriculum, which differs from the short “project” or
activity added onto traditional instruction. According to Larmer and Mergendoller (2010), a
typical unit of instruction contains a project that is taught using a combination of lectures,
textbook readings, worksheets, short activities, video programs and/or website visits. Students
are then given an assignment to do on their own at home. Basically, the teacher commits to
covering the main course of study in the usual way, and a short project is served up for “dessert”
(Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010). For instance, students can be instructed to create a poster about
a disease, showing its effects on the body, how the body reacts, and how it is treated. Projects
such as these could be displayed in the classroom, but not formally presented to a bigger
audience or discussed in detail. The unit often culminates with a test or assignment emphasizing
factual recall.
In contrast, projects in 21
st
century PBL are the “main course” (Larmer & Mergendoller,
2010). Projects serve as vehicles to encourage student motivation and to provide a means for
demonstrating and explaining what students have learned (Ravitz & Blazevski, 2010). The rigor
and depth of a project goes beyond simply applying what students have learned from traditional
instruction. PBL projects relate to students’ lives and are connected to a particular set of
questions that are organized around a phenomenon. Students discover ideas and relationships
that accommodate their understanding and promote critical thinking, despite the results of their
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study (Bell, 2010). They learn to relate activities to everyday experiences and dispel previous
misconceptions about their topic of study. Consequently, when students are asked to explain the
results of their study or answer test questions, they can still recall and retain information about
the phenomenon outside of school.
Two examples of PBL projects completed in a math class and a humanities class are
described below (Larmer & Mergendoller, 2010, p. 2):
In a math class at City Arts and Technology High School in San Francisco, students
participated in a project entitled, “Greenbacks or Greenspace?” Students used matrices
and linear algebra to decide how to best use some vacant land in the city for either
recreation or development. As students emulated the role of consultants to the mayor of
San Francisco, student teams presented their recommendation in the form of a formal
written proposal, including an explanation of the math used to solve for the most cost-
effective land allocation.
At the ARISE Academy in Oakland, California, students in the 11
th
grade humanities
class experienced a multifaceted project focusing on the question, “What creates change
and a movement?” The students learned about the history of social movements in the
U.S. and chose a civil rights topic for a research paper. As part of their service learning
internship, student conducted some sort of social action related to their topic. In
partnership with the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking, they produced a short
film about themselves, their families, and/or people in their community in relation to civil
rights. Finally, students presented their work to a committee, answering questions about
the choices they made, their knowledge of the topic, and their reflections on what was
gained by participating in the project.
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These examples are not projects where students simply applied what they learned from
traditional instruction. Students were prompted to answer an essential question that resulted in
high-quality work, requiring much more than remembering information or recalling facts. They
used higher-order thinking skills, collaborated as a team, conducted research, and presented their
findings. These skills and competencies are the 21
st
Century Skills that prepare students to be
college and career ready. They are also perquisites for success in the 21
st
century workplace
(Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, 2008).
Integrating Technology With Project-Based Learning
Digital Pedagogy
Broadly defined, digital pedagogy is the use of electronic elements in education to
enhance or to change the experience of education. Digital pedagogy covers a wide spectrum of
online learning opportunities. Familiar pedagogies include E-learning (also known as virtual and
distance learning) and blended learning systems (combined face-to-face classroom methods with
computer-mediated activities). Interest in online or e-learning has grown enormously since 1990,
and currently, almost every post-secondary institution offers courses using information
technologies (Schrum, 2005). E-learning initiatives, such as cyber schools and online
teaching/testing, are also changing traditional notions of how K-12 education is provided
(Bushweller, 2002). According to Bushweller (2002), the Florida Virtual School (FVS) is the
nation’s most prominent state-sponsored online high school. It is a public high school that offers
courses to students on a one-course basis or as an entire curriculum. One purpose of K-12 E-
learning experiences is to reach learners without access to the courses they need due to illness,
disability, learning challenges, geographic locations (rural communities, for example), or other
personal circumstances, such as additions to a home-schooling plan (Schrum, 2005). Other
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common reasons for engaging in E-learning include previously failing a class and needing to
make up credit, earning extra credit to graduate early, the convenience of accessing a course
from home (or any place outside of school), and mitigating limited financial resources (it may be
less expensive to take a course online than to enroll full time at an educational institution)
(Schrum, 2005).
Blended learning systems are known to incorporate traditional classroom methods with
computer technology. The terms "blended," "hybrid," "technology-mediated instruction," "web-
enhanced instruction," and "mixed-mode instruction" are often used interchangeably in current
research literature (Martyn, 2003). However, researchers in the United States tend to use the term
"blended learning" with more regularity. This integrated approach to learning includes mobile
learning, online learning, and classroom learning. An analysis by the U.S. Department of
Education (Means, Toyama, Murphy, Bakia, & Jones, 2010) found that blended learning
environments are more effective than either online learning or face-to-face learning alone.
Blended learning uses technology to facilitate learning and activities, while extending the time,
place, and pace at which learning can occur with and without the teacher.
USC’s Hybrid High School is one example of a blended learning program. Their
curriculum includes digital courses that are used by students when they are in school, doing
research, and participating in community service projects. Students also check out laptops
everyday, which are used to access their digital courseware and web content, and to complete
writing and multimedia assignments (USC Hybrid High School, 2013). Proponents argue that the
blended learning methodology gives students unprecedented access to academic material that is
engaging, challenging, and multi-faceted (Bushweller, 2002). That being said, PBL is another
example of blended learning. Students have face-to-face interaction with their peers on a daily
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basis in a classroom setting, while also engaging in computer-mediated technologies as they
conduct research, collaborate through multi-media, and prepare presentations related to their
project (Global SchoolNet, 2006). This strategy of learning creates an integrated approach for
teachers and students.
Digital Pedagogy and PBL
Digital pedagogy at its core is a discipline, but only in the most dynamic sense of the
word. Stommel (2013) posits that we become experts in digital pedagogy by devoting our lives
to researching, practicing, presenting, facilitating and teaching learning activities that are
embedded in technology and collaboration. Expertise will stem from taking an institution or
instructional practice that was once inspired by the efficiency of post-industrial machines and
redrawing it inside the machines of the digital age (Stommel, 2013). Rheingold (2007) shares a
similar perspective and explains digital pedagogy as a participative pedagogy assisted by digital
media and networks that focus on catalyzing, inspiring, nourishing, facilitating, and guiding
learning that is essential to individual and collective life in the 21
st
century. This participatory
media includes (but is not limited to) blogs, wikis, RSS feeds, tagging and social bookmarking,
music-photo-video sharing, podcasts, digital storytelling, virtual communities, social network
services, virtual environments, and video blogs. These distinctly different media share common,
interrelated characteristics of social networking and connectivity through the network.
Computer technology enables students to experiment with different technologies for all
aspects of PBL, such as those previously listed in participatory media (Rheingold, 2007). In
practice, PBL can be more challenging than traditional “chalk-talk” without technology.
Furthermore, piles of project proposals, time logs, files, and binders can be cumbersome to
manage. Students in the 21
st
century have the opportunity to use computers for PBL in very
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advanced ways. Bell (2010) asserts that authentic use of technology is highly engaging to
students because it taps into their fluency with computers. When integrating technology into
PBL, students are more likely to build on what they learn from technological skills because their
existing knowledge is made central to the learning process (ChanLin, 2008). As students
participate in online research for their PBL projects, they learn how to navigate other sources of
digital media and become more adept at discriminating between reliable and unreliable sources.
Bell (2010) indicates that students can use a multitude of applications for their PBL projects.
Students can use a wiki to share knowledge or blog with other students to troubleshoot during the
process segment of their projects. In the presentation phase, students may use various
technologies to display their learning. Their audience may receive a podcast, a video, a photo
story, a comic and so forth. These uses of technology provide instruction to the student by
demonstrating innovative usage of various applications (Bell, 2010). Application of varied media
tools can assist students as they integrate technology with PBL.
Technology-Supported PBL Studies
Technology use during PBL promotes creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, how to
prove with evidence, and unlimited exploration of concepts and ideas. One particular study
observed fifth grade students’ (aged 10-11) use of technology during PBL activities in science
(ChanLin, 2008). As part of the overall process of PBL, students used computer technology to
collect, organize and present information to their peers. Students conducted research, interacted
with peers and the community (through personal interviews and visits), and displayed their
understanding of knowledge through the presentation of web pages (ChanLin, 2008). Students
also experimented with various computer tools such as a scanner, the PhotoImpact software and
the Namo editor (a web page editor).
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The results of the ChanLin’s (2008) study indicate that all of the students achieved their
research goals. Students’ learning outcomes were observed based on their ability to synthesize
and elaborate knowledge, engage in scientific exploratory tasks, and use of technology for
supporting and reporting their research work. Perhaps the most valuable finding from the this
study was that hypermedia tools sustained students’ motivation, cognitive engagement, and
production of new knowledge derived from students’ own investigation and exploration
(ChanLin, 2008). This study confirms that Internet and technology use during PBL is a plausible
way to enhance 21
st
Century Skills, connect students with a real audience, and foster a better
understanding of social media tools.
Edmodo is another form of technology used by many educators to facilitate PBL. The
platform is free and can be incorporated into classrooms through a variety of applications.
Current uses include posting assignments, creating polls for student responses, embedding video
clips, creating learning groups, posting quizzes for students to take, and creating a calendar of
events and assignments (Edmodo, 2013). Additionally, students can upload their assignments
and teachers can annotate the assignments directly into Edmodo to provide instant feedback.
Laur (2011), from the Buck Institute of Education, has shared her Edmodo experience with
several teachers, schools, and administrators. She allows teachers to use her model as a blueprint
for creating their own PBL lessons.
Laur (2011) describes how she used Edmodo with her high school law class to support a
project aimed at understanding how to reduce crime in the United States. First, Laur (2011)
posted relevant articles and encouraged her students to discuss them in small groups in Edmodo.
Next, students posed essential questions related to the topic. Students then created electronic
presentations and shared them with their classmates, allowing them to gather feedback and revise
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their work in Edmodo. At the end of the project, Laur (2011) posted a poll on Edmodo, asking
the students to reflect on their research and weigh in on the best method for reducing crime. This
approach to PBL projects featured in-depth inquiry, self-directed student learning, and formal
presentation of results. The project was also collaborative and included technology use through
Edmodo.
Another study highlighting online technologies that support PBL implementation found
that the more teachers used online features, the more prepared they felt to handle PBL. Ravitz
and Blazevski (2010) conducted a study that examined the responses of 331 teachers from varied
types of high schools, who used PBL to teach math, science, social studies or English. The
findings revealed teachers reporting more use of PBL, fewer perceived challenges, and a greater
sense of preparedness when they used online technologies to support their practice (Ravitz &
Blazevski, 2010).
The four model high school reform networks that participated in the study – New Tech
High, High Tech High, Edvisions, and Envision Schools – have made it possible for dozens of
start-up schools to replicate their models (Ravitz & Blazevski, 2010). Each of the models has a
unique set of practices and technology infrastructures to help guide PBL implementation. New
Tech High has a proprietary project management system (through the New Tech Network) and
library, Envision Schools have a Project Exchange library and workspace for teachers, Edvisions
schools use the Project Foundry software to help manage and access student projects, while
High Tech High has established a “digital commons” for sharing resources among teachers. For
all participating schools, there was a robust relationship between use of online technologies and
greater amounts of PBL use and preparedness. According to Ravitz and Blazevski (2010), this
study found evidence of a mutually reinforcing relationship between technology and PBL. As
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technology assisted teachers with PBL implementation, PBL helped teachers integrate
technology by providing reasons for its use.
Technology programs/software designed to support PBL, such as Project Foundry, can
be costly for schools. Project Foundry is a management tool to help engage students by
facilitating student-directed, teacher-organized and/or school-initiated project-based learning
(Project Foundry, 2013). It streamlines the paperwork and validates learning by collecting
documents through an intuitive user interface that parallels PBL best practices. Project Foundry
enables teachers to spend more time with students, and less time organizing stacks of paperwork,
folders or spreadsheets. Although beneficial, the Project Foundry software includes start-up fees
that range from $2,500.00 to $5,000.00 per year (Project Foundry, 2013). Schools must also pay
for individual student accounts ranging from $13.00 to $20.00, but prices get cheaper with
purchase of more student accounts. School must be equipped with the financial resources needed
to purchase this kind of software. While the website claims to “make project-based learning
easier” with the Project Foundry software, this is not the case for schools that cannot afford to
purchase the software (Project Foundry, 2013). The PhotoImpact and Namo software used in
ChanLin’s (2008) study are costly as well. Both software programs require a fee to download the
program onto a computer. Schools with limited financial means may not be able to access these
valuable resources. Costs associated with contracts can impede PBL implementation as well.
Contracting for PBL Services
The PBL management resources provided by New Tech Network are costly and require a
formal contract for school use. Currently, 120 schools in the New Tech Network are using the
proprietary Echo platform, including New Tech High (Ravitz & Blazevski, 2010). Echo is
perhaps the most popular and widely used platform to support PBL implementation in high
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schools. The platform integrates Google Apps for Education to support project collaboration and
facilitate communication among parents, students, and teachers (Nobori, 2012). Echo includes
the following features: grade tracking, instruction and training resources, library, student
journals, discussion forums (online collaboration through blogs and social networking), agendas,
and evaluation tools (such as rubrics). The New Tech Network has grown rapidly from 16
schools in the 2006-07 academic year, to 42 schools in 2009-10, to 85 schools in 16 states in
2011-12 (New Tech Network Outcomes, 2012). Although this data is evidence that the network
model has replicated successfully, schools must still formally contract with New Tech and pay
for services, which may be too costly for lower-income schools.
The New Tech services include professional development, access to the Echo platform,
coaching, and facilities planning to maximize PBL outcomes in the classroom (New Tech
Network, 2013). New Tech only contracts with schools or districts – individual teachers cannot
access the services on their own. To receive services, schools or districts are required to
complete an application. Once the application is submitted, a New Tech committee uses rubrics
and commitment criteria to determine qualification and acceptance (see Appendix A). The figure
below shows an excerpt from the School Success Rubric. Schools interested in receiving PBL
services must have a “clear long term budget” and secured “grant or other soft money” (New
Tech Network, 2013). Note the specific financial criteria outlined in Figure 1.

Figure 1. School success rubric — financial requirements, Version 10/2010 © New Technology
Network, LLC; New Tech Network Rubrics (2013).
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Schools and districts must also have available funds to pay for the New Tech services.
For example, a proposal for New Tech Middle School in Plymouth, California, included a quote
for $120,000-$135,0000 to join New Tech under a two-year contract (New Tech Network,
2012). These prices are astronomical for lower-income districts and schools. As a result, equity
and access to New Tech’s PBL services pertain only to those schools that meet the financial
criteria. These requirements make the New Tech Network an exclusive provider of PBL services
and resources.
Although technology infrastructures stated in the ChanLin (2008) study and Ravitz and
Blazevski (2010) study have numerous benefits, their accessibility and scalability remain an
open question. Will these models work for schools that lack the interest to support systematic
and school-wide administration of PBL? Will the availability of PBL services be provided to
schools outside of the New Tech Network as they scale nationally? Furthermore, how do
individual teachers access (financially and literally) vital PBL services/materials if their school is
not currently implementing PBL? These questions are relevant for any school or teacher who
wishes to engage in PBL implementation. The questions also warrant a discussion of available
CMS websites that incorporate the necessary tools for conducting and enhancing PBL, without
requiring a formal contract or financial means for usage. Informal contracts provide another
approach to acquiring PBL services.
Informal Contracting and PBL Services
Stated earlier, Edmodo provides a free and safe social networking platform for teachers,
students, parents and schools. Educators can also find creative ways to support PBL
implementation by accessing the different applications. However, there are few empirical studies
on effective use of the website for PBL implementation. That being said, there are currently
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18,000,000 Edmodo users (Edmodo, 2013). The website is also available in English, Spanish,
Portuguese, German, Greek, and French. Parents can create parent accounts that allow them to
see their child’s assignments and grades. Teachers can also send alerts to parents about school
events, missed assignments, and other important messages through Edmodo. Unequivocally,
teachers, students, and parents are attracted to the “free” service that Edmodo provides. Although
Edmodo does not charge to set up an account, users still sign an electronic terms of agreement.
These terms of agreement are an informal way of binding users to the contract. Since initiating
an account is completely optional, users can choose to sign the terms or bypass the entire
process. Even though Edmodo provides a free platform, users still need to abide by a terms of
service, which includes “contractual language.” Figure 2 shows the “contractual language” stated
in the terms of agreement for Edmodo users (Edmodo, 2013).

Figure 2. Edmodo terms of agreement, adapted from the Edmodo website, 2013.
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Review of Transaction Cost Economics
This study will also examine transaction costs, the make-or-buy decision, outsourcing,
formal and informal contract enforcement, and externalities. More importantly, the complexities
of informal contracting and its relationship to PBL services will be considered. The next section
discusses the literature on transaction cost economics (TCE).
Transaction cost economics (TCE) theory was developed between 1930 and 1970
(Tadelis & Williamson, 2012). TCE involves the transaction costs incurred when making an
economic exchange (Malone, Yates, & Benjamin, 1987). The economic exchange pertaining to
this study is the service that Gambassa provides to various schools and teachers. Tadelis and
Williamson (2012) reference two types of exchanges: simple exchanges (i.e. one-time
transaction) and complex exchanges (i.e. continuous transactions). As with Edmodo, the
economic exchange between Gambassa and its users is a one-time transaction because once users
sign on, they do not have to renew a second term. The more complex the exchange, the increased
likelihood of problematic contracts, hence the need for TCE. When the product is not so easy to
standardize or when it is difficult to anticipate all the relevant variables, the transaction is much
more complex (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008). Since Gambassa services are obtained from
informal contracting, a complex exchange may not apply. Even though Gambassa is a prolonged
service provided throughout the school year (and beyond), the transaction represents a simple
exchange because users can suspend product use at any time. According the Gonzalez-Diaz and
Vazquez (2008), the user controls the frequency and duration of the transaction, which means
that the transaction is short term and voluntary. Likewise, the Gambassa Creator could terminate
the website at any time, allowing him to control the frequency and duration as well.
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Alternatively, the New Tech Network contract for its users is an example of a complex
exchange. Schools and districts are engaged in a continuous exchange until the contract ends.
The contractual agreement also includes a monetary exchange that makes the agreement binding.
According to Tadelis and Williamson (2012), complex exchanges have better chances of thriving
under sustained rapport between the affiliated parties. In other words, relationships are key to
successful exchanges between two or more parties.
Associated Costs of a Transaction
Williamson (2008) argues that the ease of contracting varies with the attributes of the
transaction, stating continuity as a possible source of added value. These costs include search
and information costs (costs incurred from researching the best provider/lowest cost), bargaining
costs (costs incurred from drawing up an appropriate contract), and monitoring and evaluation
costs (costs incurred from ensuring that the other party adheres to the terms of the contract)
(Williamson, 2008). Transaction cost theorists assert that the total cost incurred by a firm can be
grouped largely into two components—transaction costs and production costs (Malone, Yates,
& Benjamin, 1987). Transaction costs, often known as coordination costs, are defined as those
costs incurred from all the information processing necessary to coordinate the work of people
and machines that perform the primary processes. Production costs include the costs incurred
from the physical or other primary processes necessary to create and distribute the goods or
services being produced.
Transaction costs vary for the Gambassa Creator and the users. Transaction costs for
Gambassa include development costs, monitoring and evaluation costs, advertising costs
(promoting use of the platform), and maintaining the Gambassa brand. Transaction costs for
teachers and schools include time to learn the different features, search and information costs
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(researching other CMSs), implementation costs (the time it takes to integrate the platform into
instructional practices), and technology costs (upgrades for latest technology). Overall, the
transaction costs are low because the contract is informal. Teachers, students, and the Gambassa
creator can opt out of the contract or service at any time (Gambassa, 2013). However, Gambassa
users still have to sign a terms of service agreement to access all the services (see Appendix B).
Transaction costs can also include uncertainty and complexity (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez,
2008), but these dimensions are removed because the Gambassa platform is a standardized
product, making the transaction quite simple. Transaction costs could be even lower for
Gambassa if the Creator coordinated with the school district to implement the platform district-
wide, instead of partnering with individual schools. These interdependent transactions are more
costly for Gambassa because they lack the connectedness of negotiating with the district
(Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008).
Outsourcing (Buy) vs. Insourcing (Make)
The concept of buy vs. make relates to creating a product or purchasing a product
(Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008). In regard to the Gambassa CMS, schools and teachers would
encounter difficulties with creating a similar platform. The decision to make a CMS would
require computer-programming knowledge, time to develop the product, and a voluntary
commitment. Schools may not have the funds to pay teachers to create a CMS platform. As a
result, schools and teachers may outsource/buy a product that is already created that meets their
needs.
To further contextualize TCE, it is necessary to understand economics during the early
20
th
Century (Lamoreaux, Raff, & Temin, 2002). During this time, vertical integration was a
newly discovered management style for large corporations. Vertical integration is defined as all
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products being manufactured “in-house” (not outsourced). With vertical integration, TCE is less
necessary because there are relatively few, if any, contracts (Williamson, 2010). Due to cost
factors, small businesses were not able to vertically integrate. Instead, many small businesses
were inclined to retain products from vendors who established economies of scale (producing a
product at its lowest cost). Later in the 20
th
Century, Lamoreaux, Raff, and Temin (2002)
contend that large corporations realized that vertical integration was not as efficient as once
perceived. As a result, large corporations started to outsource, also known as “dis-integration”
(Lamoreaux, Raff, & Temin, 2002). When businesses started outsourcing, TCE became a
prevalent practice of governance (Williamson, 2010). To this day, TCE is a developing
phenomenon that still requires more research.
Outsourcing has become a ubiquitous practice, particularly in higher education (Gupta,
Herath, & Mikouiza, 2005). As costs continue to rise, institutions of higher education are
experiencing an overall decline in enrollment and funding for research. To curtail rising costs,
institutions of higher education are readily engaging in outsourcing non-essential business
practices. According to Gupta, Herath, and Mikouiza (2005), the following practices are
examples of outsourcing: food services, bookstore operations, custodial services, maintenance,
security, and laundry services. With the steady increase of costs, these institutions have
outsourced additional non-essential functions, such as healthcare, administrative services,
transportation, and much more. Although benefits of outsourcing have resulted in savings for
these institutions, opponents argue that outsourcing dismantles school integrity and culture
(Gupta, Herath, & Mikouiza, 2005). However, school integrity and culture will not be
compromised if an outsourced product is meeting or exceeding the needs of an institution.
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Formal Contracting vs. Informal Contracting
What role does supply chain management (SCM) play in TCE? SCM is the management
of networks in a supply chain (i.e. assembly lines, scheduling, and movement of
cargo/packages/containers/mail) (Williamson, 2008). According to Williamson (2008), if SCM is
operating at economies of scale (producing a product at its lowest cost), TCE is at maximum
benefit. If TCE is at maximum benefit, the ease of contracting increases. With ease of
contracting, there are less concerns and disputes over the various transaction costs involved in
economic exchanges. Since Gambassa uses informal contracting, the TCE’s are at maximum
benefit, thus limiting disputes over the contract.
One main premise behind TCE is to examine economic activity by looking at contracts.
According to Macher and Richman (2008), TCE lends itself to the governance of on-going
contractual relationships. The multiple modes of governance include bureaucracy, markets, and
firms (business-to-business). TCE theory asserts that contracts are not lawless, meaning that they
are bound by rules and regulations. Three concerns related to transaction costs and contractual
agreements include: 1.) the human inability to predict the future, 2.) the grey area caused by
implicit language in a contract, and 3.) the degree of difficulty that third party enforcers (courts
and arbitrators) have in verifying/determining fault (Macher & Richman, 2008). In regards to
Gambassa and its users, third party enforcers are not as critical. Contractual agreements also
include unintended factors that happen outside the governance of a contract. These factors relate
to externalities.
Externalities
Unintended outcomes of TCE include externalities. Externalities are things that happen as
a result of the transaction that are not governed by the rules of the exchange (Williamson, 2008).
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They can also be positive or negative. For example, a negative externality related to Gambassa
and it users could occur in the form of plagiarism. If a teacher or student uploads their work onto
to the platform, they may find that another person has copied their work and used it as their own.
The latter comes as a result of entering into a contract, although informal, with Gambassa. The
teachers and students do not expect to encounter plagiarism, but it is still a potential externality.
A positive externality would occur if a teacher asks permission to use another student’s work as a
PBL example for the class. The student may appreciate having the teacher feature his or her
work, thus increasing the student’s interest and motivation to learn. Because the student is not
cognizant of the teacher’s intentions ahead of time, there is no way to prepare for this externality.
Since externalities are not predictable, there is no way to govern or prepare for them
(Williamson, 2008).
Summary
Research supports Project-Based Learning as an effective approach to building deep
content understanding, authentic learning experiences, and student motivation to learn (Buck
Institute for Education, 2013). Similarly, computer mediated-technology bolsters PBL
implementation by providing an engaging learning experience and creating a context for
employing digital tools. The literature review has outlined key characteristics of PBL, PBL
examples, technology tools that enhance PBL management and implementation, technology-
supported PBL studies, contracts that limit access to PBL services, and informal contracts that
create more opportunities for PBL implementation. PBL is proven to be more effective than
traditional instruction in preparing students to integrate and explain concepts, improve students’
mastery of 21
st
Century Skills, and enhance long-term retention (Bell, 2010). PBL also provides
an effective model for whole school reform, where teachers experience more autonomy and
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students take more ownership of their learning. The review of literature also examines
implications of transaction costs, contracting, outsourcing vs. insourcing (buy vs. make), and
externalities by applying the lens of Transaction Cost Economics (Williamson, 2010). For this
study, the TCE perspective plays a key role in examining informal contracting and its impact on
PBL implementation.
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CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
This research study examined Gambassa, a specific Cloud Management System, as one
solution to managing PBL implementation and transforming computer-mediated technology
within the classroom. As online learning becomes more ubiquitous and vital to PBL
implementation, CMSs like Gambassa are necessary to further advance communication and
content delivery. Cloud-based websites provide a central location where teachers and students
can acquire content-related material, actively engage in digital media, and store massive amounts
of information or materials (White, 2005). CMSs specifically designed for PBL implementation
enhance the classroom learning experience and foster authentic learning opportunities. An added
benefit is that information is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (Partee, 1996). In this
study, the contractual relationship between the vendor (Gambassa) and the consumers – namely
the teachers and students – was explored and investigated to determine benefits, transaction
costs, and overall impact of utilizing Gambassa for PBL implementation.
CMSs serve as valuable resources for collaboration and skill development in digital
media, digital content organization, and digital content delivery. The Gambassa website
incorporates these computer-mediated technologies onto one platform. In addition to describing
the Gambassa features in greater detail, this qualitative study attempted to understand why
teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator chose to engage in informal contracting for
technology-supported PBL services. Focus was given to how stakeholders interpreted the costs
and benefits of using Gambassa. The TCE framework allowed for analysis of the type of
decisions made by all stakeholders in this study (Williamson, 2010). Information obtained from
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the authentic experiences of teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator contributed to the
knowledge base of computer-mediated PBL services and informal contracting.
The following section explains Gambassa in further detail and highlights the study’s
design, describing its qualitative methodology and the interpretative approach used to analyze
the data collected. It also includes research methodology, descriptions of the participants,
instrumentation, data collection, and data analysis. The section concludes with a summary,
noting key items that have been discussed.
Problem and Purpose Overview
Project-Based Learning is inquiry-based, student-centered, motivating for learners, and
teaches 21
st
Century Skills that prepare students to be college and career ready. Rooted in
constructivism, PBL also has strong theoretical support for implementation (Global SchoolNet,
2006). Given these facts, implementing PBL without computer-mediated technology may be
daunting for experienced teachers and even more overwhelming for novices. Almost all current
examples of PBL projects attempt to capitalize on collaborative learning and technology use in
some manner (Land & Green, 2000). Since PBL focuses on in-depth investigations while
constructing personally meaningful artifacts, traditional classroom instruction may need to
change (Scott, 1994). Students will need access to digital media that bolsters project creation,
management, and presentation. Currently, there is a shortage of free Cloud Management Systems
and technology resources specifically designed for PBL implementation. Furthermore, the
technology resources that are available are costly or require a formal contract for product use.
This qualitative study sought to examine the relationships forged in the process of
creating Gambassa and the influence of informal contracting with firms using the platform. The
investigative activities were twofold: (1) to explore specific components of Gambassa that
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bolster PBL implementation and its usefulness in K-12 schools and higher education; and (2) to
gather and examine data on specific transaction costs related to informal contracting that effect
teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator.
Research Questions
This study explored the following research questions:
1. What specific features of the Gambassa platform appear to be of greater value to
some stakeholders than others and how effective is Gambassa for PBL
implementation across different disciplines?
2. What are the relative merits of Gambassa over alternatives as perceived by the
teachers and students?
3. How are the promises and expectations of Gambassa manifested in participating
schools without an official contract, and what costs and benefits are associated with
this agreement? In other words, what do teachers and students expect to get and give
by using this vendor?
4. What transaction costs are associated with managing Gambassa and what does the
vendor expect to get and give in working with the teachers?
Research Hypothesis
Digital tools, such as Cloud Management Systems, are necessary to transform PBL
implementation in the 21
st
century. These tools enhance a learner's ability to easily access and
manage projects online, while equipping students with the skills to compete in a technology-
driven society. Additionally, informal contracting promotes more flexibility and access of CMS
use for PBL implementation. This access is necessary to reduce barriers and statistical odds
against PBL success in schools that lack the funds to purchase software or engage in formal
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contracting for PBL services. If schools use digital tools such as Gambassa to implement PBL,
then student motivation and achievement will increase. Similarly, if schools engage in informal
contracting for CMS use, the likelihood of PBL implementation will increase.
Population and Sample
Research Sites (Firms)
Gambassa has users that range from high school through college. For the purpose of this
study, two colleges and two high schools were included. The next section of this paper will
highlight key characteristics of the four schools (also called firms), describe the teachers and
students in further detail, and provide a description of the Gambassa platform. The
characteristics of all schools are described in accordance with data obtained from their websites.
School 1.
Environmental Charter High School (ECHS) was founded in 2000 and services grades 9-
12 (ECHS, 2013). The enrollment is 500 students, with a class ratio of 30 students to 1 teacher.
The school is an award winning, free, public high school in Lawndale (South Los Angeles), CA
that prepares students for 4-year colleges using the environment as a lens for real-life learning.
The school places an emphasis on experiential, Project-based learning that engages students as it
prepares them to become leaders in their community. Students are engaged in interdisciplinary
and project-based learning that not only prepares them for college, but also for leadership.
Students are encouraged and inspired to be builders, investigators, critical thinkers, dancers,
gardeners, public speakers, activists, bicycling advocates, actors, musicians, and community
leaders.
More than 75% of the students are eligible for the federal free or reduced-price meals
program. Most graduates are also the first in their families to attend college. Demographically,
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the school represents a student population that is 68% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 20% African
American, 4% Caucasian, 2% Other (ECHS, 2013). The goal for Environmental Charter High
School students is to graduate as: (1) Critical Reasoners (trained and encouraged to investigate,
hypothesize, analyze evaluation, self-reflect, and synthesize, (2) Collaborative Communicators
(listen effectively, read, write, and speak across 21
st
century media), and (3) Creative
Contributors (learn to address and find solution to environmental, social, economic, and cultural
challenges in the local and global community). According to ECHS website, 98% of their
graduates complete the coursework necessary for admission to a four-year college or university
(compared to about 35% statewide). More than 95% of the students pass the California High
School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) on the first attempt, in both math and English. The current
Academic Performance Index (API) is 824 (ECHS, 2013). The school is ranked in the top 10%
of schools in the state with similar socio-economic groups, based on standardized test results.
They offer advanced placement classes, blended learning, after-school electives, athletics
programs, college counseling, test prep, tutoring services and more to ensure each student’s
success. ECHS has been locally and nationally recognized numerous times for their outstanding
achievements. Figure 3 illustrates some of the school’s awards and accomplishments (ECHS,
2013).
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Figure 3. ECHS awards and accomplishments, adapted from the ECHS website, 2013.

School 2.
Frances High School (pseudonym) is part of the Corona-Norco Unified School District
(CNUSD), which is located approximately 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles in western
Riverside County. The district currently has 31 elementary schools, 7 intermediate/middle
schools, 5 comprehensive high schools, a middle college high school, and three alternative
schools. CNUSD has an enrollment of over 52,000 students (CNUSD, 2013). They are the
largest school district in Riverside County and the tenth largest district in California and have
been providing quality education to the students of the Corona and Norco area for over 120
years.
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Frances High School (FHS) is focused on providing all students with the opportunity to
achieve. They accommodate individual learning styles while maintaining high, obtainable
expectations for students. The percentage of students by ethnicity is 46.72% Caucasian, 35.45%
Hispanic, 6.85% African-American, 7.81% Asian, 2.64% Filipino, 0.11% Pacific Islander, and
0.25% American Indian (CNUSD, 2013). The school’s current API is just over 800 and the
CAHSEE pass rate is 89% in language arts and 96% in math. The rigorous academic programs,
strong vocational programs, great athletic programs, and extensive extracurricular activities that
actively engage all students provide a well-rounded educational experience. FHS earned the US
News & World Report's Best High Schools in America Gold Medal for 2012 (CNUSD, 2013).
School 3.
Mt. San Jacinto Community College District was formed in 1962 by a vote of the citizens
in Banning, Beaumont, Hemet and San Jacinto (MSJC, 2013). The college enrolled its first
students in the fall of 1963, holding classes in rented facilities. The San Jacinto Campus was
opened in 1965 with two buildings and has grown into a comprehensive college campus serving
the needs of students and the community. In 1975, the residents of Temecula, Lake Elsinore,
Perris and adjacent areas voted to join the Mt. San Jacinto Community College District,
increasing the college’s area to the present 1,700 square miles (MSJC, 2013). Although the
boundaries have remained stable since 1975, the District has changed dramatically, especially
since the 1980s. In recent years, unprecedented population growth has fostered the highest rate of
enrollment increase of all 112 community colleges. In response to this intense growth, Mt. San
Jacinto College (MSJC) opened its Menifee Valley Campus in October 1990. By the end of its
first year, there were 2,100 students attending classes at the Menifee Valley Campus (MSJC,
2013).
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Today the campus serves nearly 11,000 students each semester. The college’s master plan
calls for ultimately providing for between 15,000 and 20,000 students on the Menifee Valley
Campus and up to 15,000 on the San Jacinto Campus. Classrooms are being added or renovated
on both campuses to meet the educational demands of the area. MSJC offers courses and
programs that satisfy the transfer requirements of four-year colleges and universities. The school
also offers a variety of vocational and technical programs to prepare students for rewarding
careers. Basic Skills and English as a Second Language (ESL) training programs are designed
for students who want to build a strong foundation and ensure academic success. Distance
Education allows student access to more than 140 online classes to help complete your
educational goal. Continuing Education programs and classes help lifelong learners and those
seeking personal enrichment (MSJC, 2013). The MSJC College District stretches 45 miles from
east to west to include the communities of Banning, Beaumont, Idyllwild, San Jacinto, Hemet,
Perris, Sun City, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Murrieta, Menifee, Temecula, Aguanga and Anza
(MSJC, 2013).
School 4.
San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), also known as Valley College, was established
in 1926. The 1927-28 faculty was made up of eleven men and six women (SBVC, 2013). Nearly
300 students enrolled for the fall semester of 1927, with the freshmen outnumbering the
sophomores nearly six to one. Enrollment at the college grew steadily year after year until it
reached a total of approximately 18,000 day and evening students in 1975. Since that time,
enrollment has decreased, due to the expiration of veterans' benefits and the opening and growth
of Crafton Hills College. SBVC is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and
Colleges. The two-year college has an enrollment of approximately 12,500 students and covers
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82 acres (SBVC, 2013). The school is also a part of the San Bernardino Community College
District that includes Crafton Hills College, located in nearby Yucaipa and the Professional
Development Center in San Bernardino.
SBVC is dedicated to providing educational opportunities that include a quality education
that empowers students to think critically, communicate clearly, and to grow personally and
professionally. The college offers degrees in the arts and sciences to students who successfully
complete a comprehensive two-year course study. This course study corresponds to the lower
division requirements of the University of California and the California State University system,
so qualified students can transfer to four-year institutions with junior standing. While
recognizing the importance of a general education, the college also recognizes an obligation to
provide specialized programs leading directly to employment or to improving the skill and
knowledge of those already employed in the work force. To achieve this, the college offers more
than 40 programs in technical and occupational fields. The enriched learning environment
promotes creativity, self-expression, and the development of critical thinking skills. The
educational services also support a diverse community of learners (SBVC, 2013).
Vendor
The Gambassa website was launched in 2009 by its Creator, Gary Glass. The educational
purpose of Gambassa is to transform PBL by integrating advanced technology. Gambassa
functions as a Cloud Management System (CMS) by providing a networked environment for
diverse groups of people to connect, share, participate, and study. As a result, this interactive
communication platform plays an important role in mediating the PBL learning process and
enhancing pedagogy.
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Gambassa is a free platform designed to facilitate Project Based Learning
(activity/service based) through technology. More specifically, it is cloud-based and accessible
on any modern device, mobile, desktop, laptop, or tablet that has an Internet connection
(Gambassa, 2013). Members are given profiles that allow them to connect with one another,
teachers, and to join groups. These assets can be integrated into discussions and assignments as
well. Gambassa handles all of the device specific formatting. Students and teachers can
collaborate on projects, which are organized as workflow templates. The workflow templates
allow teachers to efficiently manage project-task completion and scheduling. The projects
contain a triple purpose - Teach, Participate, and Demonstrate. Each step of the project contains
rich media educational materials along with performance tasks. The tasks can be performed solo
or in collaboration with others. When collaborating with others, Gambassa maintains full
traceability of contributions and versions of work. When work is assigned and completed, the
system automatically notifies the next person of their tasks and due dates. At the completion of
the projects, the project managers can publish all or portions of the project to the portfolio of the
students. Platform details are presented in Figure 4, while Tables 1 and 2 provide a guide for
getting started.
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Figure 4. Gambassa concepts.
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Table 1
Understanding How the Gambassa Concepts Relate: A Basic Class Setup
1. A teacher signs up for an account. Within his/her profile, he/she creates a group for the
class and gives it a name, such as "2012-P4-Math."
2. The teacher would then add/invite students from the 2012 period 4 math class into the
group. The group would have a profile page (class page) where all the content and
organizational items for the class are collected. Examples of content: supplemental
educational videos, links to resources, pictorial content, reading materials. Examples of
organizational items: assignments, upcoming events, attendance sheet, syllabus.
3. The content for the group page can come from the teacher, or the teacher can allow
students to post items to the group page. The teacher can obtain curricula, either paid or
free, and distribute it to the class.
4. Now that the teacher and the students are collected into a group setting, they can work
together on the curricula. They can create group discussions, they can work together on
assignments, they can message each other to ask and answer questions, and they can
collaborate on projects.
5. The curricula might require students to schedule time to work together. For this they
have the calendar. The project may require students to delegate tasks, Gambassa has a
task assignment tool. Students who might not understand concepts of assignments can
message the instructor, reach out to other students by creating a discussion, instant
message, or creating a post for the group to comment on.
© Gambassa 2013
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Table 2
How Schools/Educators Get Started with Gambassa
District Level
• Give Gambassa a feed of their student body, Gambassa will create all the accounts.
School Level
• Give Gambassa a feed of their student body, Gambassa will create all the accounts.
(This assumes the district did not already create the accounts.)

Classroom Level
• Teacher creates a free Gambassa account online. Teacher creates group for the class.
Teacher adds in the emails of the students, or invites the students into the group. (This
assumes the district or the school did not already create the accounts.)

Student Level
• Student creates an account online, connects with teacher, joins class group. (This
assumes the district or the school did not already create the accounts.)

Publishers
• eBooks - Give Gambassa a list of all titles, brief descriptions, summary, author info,
ISBN numbers, skus, price, cost, images, and source files.
• eWorkbooks - Use Gambassa's API to map the chapters/sections of the exercises.
• Files - Upload the files into the publishers Gambassa account. Complete the sellers
agreement. Gambassa will contact them about the process of including the content in
the platform.

Courses
• Use Gambassa's API to map the assignment schedules and course content.
© Gambassa 2013
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One guiding principle of Gambassa's design is to provide digital tools within Gambassa,
such that a low-income school or student equipped with a computer browser or mobile phone has
the technological wherewithal to complete PBL projects comparable to other students of greater
means. Gambassa is also a self-funded initiative and should not be compared with other websites
that make millions in profits (Gambassa, 2013).
Another key differentiation of Gambassa is featured at the point of data collection, in
which Gambassa is able to calculate measurable results using customizable formulas containing
students inputted values. The measurable results can be used to tally the impact or significance of
student work on the community, or the quality of their execution of the task. For example, the
amount of materials recycled, the amount of profit in a fundraiser, the number of people
attending an event. Gambassa can also collect data and structure it. An example is with GPS data
related to student submissions. This makes distributed research have spatial significance, such as
the location of a water or soil sample near a riverbank. Lastly, Gambassa establishes an informal
contract with its users. The informal contract gives users the freedom to set up or discontinue an
account at will. Teachers and students can also voluntarily set up an account without paying fees.
Although there is no formal contract to use the Gambassa website, users are required to sign a
terms of service agreement (see Appendix B). All terms outlined in the agreement are binding.
For example, users cannot “post content or take any action on Gambassa that infringes someone
else’s rights or otherwise violates the law” (Gambassa, 2013). Similarly, if users “violate the
letter or spirit of this Statement [terms of service],” Gambassa can stop providing all or part of its
services (Gambassa, 2013). As Gambassa users reap the benefits of a free platform, they must
still adhere to the above terms.
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Subjects
Teachers.
This study included five teachers from the various educational institutions listed above.
They are pioneers and thought leaders in different respects, each having a refreshing perspective
on how to evolve education, how to solve the impracticalities of the current system using
technology, and ways to guide students towards higher level thinking through Project-Based
Learning. These teachers also provided names of students who have used Gambassa in different
capacities, at different grade levels, performing various types of project assignments. They all
shared their experiences using the Gambassa platform and offered their opinions about the future
of online PBL. The teachers had a working knowledge of Gambassa, which is another reason
they were included in this study. For confidentiality reasons, teacher identities were protected.
Table 3 provides details of each teacher.
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Table 3
Teacher and School Information
Teacher Subject and Grades/Levels School/Institution of Attendance
Teacher A
(Retired)
Biology
9
th
, 11
th
, and 12
th
Grade
Frances High School
Teacher B Math
9
th
and 12
th
Grade
Environmental Charter High School
Teacher C Elective – “In True Fashion”
11
th
and 12
th
Grade
Environmental Charter High School
Teacher D
(Adjunct
Professor)
Music
Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors,
and Seniors
Mt. San Jacinto College
San Bernardino Valley College
Teacher E
(Adjunct
Professor)
Music
Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors,
and Seniors
Mt. San Jacinto College
Note: In True Fashion is an entrepreneurial program that fosters creative, industrious thinking in
students from underserved communities. The program builds self-esteem and work ethic through
hands-on participation and promotes the value of products “Made in the USA” (In True Fashion,
2013).

Students.

Participants for this study included 9
th
, 10
th
, 11
th
, and 12
th
grade students, as well as
college students of all levels. The high school students ranged from 14 – 18 years old. The
college students ranged in age from 18 years to mid 20’s, with the exception of some older
students who may have gone back to school. For the purpose of this study, all students were
enrolled in a class with a teacher who used Gambassa for PBL implementation. Students also had
some working knowledge of how to navigate web-based tools for PBL. Students did not need to
be familiar with the Gambassa website to be included in this study, but they needed to have a
Gambassa account. Since there is no fee to set up an account, this was not a problem.
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Sampling Procedures
One essential criterion for creating a sample in research is for participants to have
experienced the phenomenon under investigation (Moustakas, 1994). In pursuit of a similar goal,
the sampling procedure for this study was purposive because participants were granted the
opportunity to participate based on the following criteria: (1) they were currently using the
Gambassa platform for PBL implementation and (2) they were technologically savvy enough to
navigate the program. The sample was also small, nonrandom, and non-experimental. Since
Gambassa is a newer social learning platform that is currently being developed, there are only a
few schools and teachers utilizing the platform. As a result, the sample was nonrandom and
could only represent those who were currently using the platform – namely teachers, students,
and the Gambassa Creator.
Approval for this study and access to participants was requested and obtained from the
district superintendent (see Appendix C) and from the principal of each individual school
participating in the study (see Appendix D). Since the Environmental Charter High School is not
affiliated with a district, permission was obtained from the principal. Permission from the
colleges was obtained from the Dean of Research at both campuses (MSJC and SBVC). In order
to proceed with the study, the University of Southern California’s Institutional Review Board
(IRB) granted permission to the researcher. After obtaining permission from IRB, the researcher
sent a Recruitment Letter (see Appendix E) and Information Sheet (see Appendix F) to selected
participants. Once participants indicated a desire to be included in the study, the researcher set up
appointments to interview them. The researcher collected data during the 2013–14 school year,
specifically during the fall of 2013.

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Human Subject Consideration
The researcher complied with USC’s IRB guidelines and the research guidelines of the
schools and colleges under study. Participants were given an information sheet that explained the
details of the study prior to participating in the study. The researcher orally reviewed both the
recruitment letter and information sheet and gave participants the opportunity to ask questions to
ensure clarity of understanding. Two critical considerations for this study were confidentiality
and security of data. To ensure confidentiality, no individual names were used during data
collection; instead, participants were assigned numbers only known to the researcher. All
information regarding the identity of the participants was kept private and confidential. All data,
including audio recordings, transcripts, and research materials, was secured with a password-
protected computer and locked file cabinets. Maintaining confidentiality and security helped
minimize the risk to participants. Potential risks to participants included possible boredom,
fatigue, and/or slight discomfort in reflecting on their experiences. The researcher provided water
and snacks to minimize these risks. The researcher also incentivized participation by providing
participants with a $10 gift card to either Starbucks or Subway. Upon request, participants were
given the opportunity to obtain a copy or summary of the study’s findings by writing a letter,
emailing, or calling the researcher.
Data Collection and Instrumentation
Piloting the Interview Protocol
Since this study involved teacher experiences using technology-based tools for PBL,
interviews were conducted as one source of data collection. According to Merriam (2009), all
forms of qualitative research use interviewing as a data collection technique. The most common
form of interviews is the person-to-person encounter in which one person elicits information
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from another. Although this model was used throughout the study, the researcher engaged in
pilot testing before conducting actual interviews. The next section of this study focuses on the
process of pilot testing.
Fink (2009) asserts that a pilot test is a tryout, and its purpose is to provide the researcher
with necessary information. A pilot test of face-to-face interviews can help determine if
participants can easily follow the questions and how much time it will take to complete the
interview. Pilot testing also helps improve the quality of questions because it allows the
researcher to eliminate difficult or poorly worded questions (Fink, 2009). The goal of initial pilot
testing for this study was to check for instrument clarity and to anticipate the actual
circumstances in which the interviews were conducted, and adjust plans accordingly. The
process of constructing an interview protocol involved three steps: (1) Write ten questions that
pertained to one research question, (2) Collaborate and discuss potential questions with a group
of two or more people, (3) Use the feedback from the group to revise original questions.
Research question.
The following research question was used to provide a context and to guide the interview
protocol for pilot testing: How do teachers and students across different academic disciplines
manage a project through Echo and what specific features of the platform appear to be of
greater value to some stakeholders than others? This question was asked to teachers who use the
Echo software for PBL implementation. The Echo platform was highlighted in the
aforementioned study conducted by Ravitz and Blazevski (2010). Given the researcher’s time
constraints, teachers were included in the pilot testing because they were easier to access than
students. Table 4 shows the type of pilot questions used during the interviews.

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Table 4
Pilot Interview Protocol
Research Question Corresponding Interview Questions
How do teachers and students
across different academic
disciplines manage a project
through Echo and what specific
features of the platform appear to
be of greater value to some
stakeholders than others?
1. How did you come to use Echo for PBL
implementation?
2. How would you characterize the use of this
program?
3. Can you walk me through an example of how you
use the different resources/features that Echo has to
offer?
4. Why do you choose to use these specific features?
5. How would you describe the student
responses/reactions to the Echo platform?
6. What other Cloud Management Systems (CMSs)
would you find useful for PBL?
7. If you could choose between Echo and an
alternative CMS, which would you choose and
why?
8. Describe the benefits and drawbacks of using Echo
for PBL implementation.
9. How would you describe your overall experience
using the Echo platform?
10. If you could add or change one feature about Echo,
what would it be and why?

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Method of identifying appropriate respondents.
Respondents for the pilot interviews included teachers whose district contracts with New
Tech Network to assist with PBL training and administration. The New Tech Network provides
schools with access to the Echo platform, a CMS designed for PBL implementation. The
researcher was particularly interested in learning which features of Echo were most attractive to
the teachers and how they use the platform to manage projects. To receive multiple perspectives,
the researcher intentionally chose to interview teachers who use the Echo platform across
different disciplines. As a result, a science teacher, a history teacher, and an English teacher were
interviewed.
Approach to capturing data.
The researcher set up appointments to interview three teachers in person. However, one
person could not make the interview, so a phone interview was conducted instead. After a careful
review of all items involved in the information sheet, the researcher reiterated that all responses
were confidential, that no individual or school name would be used, and that all efforts would be
made to protect the participant’s identity. After outlining the purpose of the research and
logistical items (such as potential duration of the interview – 30 minutes or less), each interview
was audio recorded separately. The researcher also outlined the questioning process, including
number, type, and general subject of the questions. Participants were informed that additional
prompts could be used to probe or clarify thinking. Participants were expected to respond to each
question, even if the response briefly indicated an agreement or no comment on a particular
question. The participants were then offered the chance to ask any clarifying questions before
proceeding. After the interviews, the qualitative data was transcribed into a Microsoft Word
document for further analysis.
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Reflections on the piloting process.
Maxwell (2013) asserts that pilot studies are important for developing an understanding
of the concepts and theories held by the people you are studying. He also contends that people’s
perspectives are real and inform their actions (Maxwell, 2013). The piloting process taught the
researcher the importance of embracing diverse perspectives on Cloud Management Systems and
their use for PBL implementation. The insights helped the researcher construct a personal
meaning and description of how the PBL phenomenon is being experienced in classrooms.
During the interviews, the researcher also realized that questions 2 and 9 (see Table 4 above)
were very similar and somewhat redundant. As a result, only question 9 was used for the actual
study. Additionally, the researcher realized the need to provide more questions related to
informal contracting, which were included in the actual interview protocol. Overall, the
researcher gained more confidence in asking questions and conducting interviews, a necessary
characteristic for moving forward with the study. The researcher also gained hands-on
experience using an interview protocol, another critical aspect of a research study. The next
section of this paper focuses on data collection and instrumentation for the actual study.
Data Collection and Instrumentation for Research Questions
Research Question 1
To address question number one, the researcher surveyed teachers and students who use
Gambassa for PBL implementation. The research question under investigation was: What
specific features of the Gambassa platform appear to be of greater value to some stakeholders
than others and how effective is Gambassa for PBL implementation across different disciplines?
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Population and sample.
The population included individual teachers and students from two high schools and two
colleges. A total of five teachers and thirty students participated in taking a survey. Student ages
ranged from 14 – 25 years old. The teachers assisted the researcher by selecting some of their
students to complete the survey. It was imperative for teachers and students to have a working
knowledge of web-based tools and how those tools support project management and completion.
Student participants had to also be enrolled in a class with a teacher who was using Gambassa
for PBL implementation. Students should have started or completed a PBL project prior to
completing the survey. Since teacher and student awareness of the Gambassa platform was
needed to generate authentic responses and experiences, convenience sampling was a necessary
method used in this qualitative study (Merriam, 2009). Miles and Huberman (1994) identify
three additional aspects of qualitative studies, all of which were considered during this study: the
setting (where the research will take place - schools), the actors (who is participating – teachers
and students), and the events (what the actors are doing – using the Gambassa platform).
Instrumentation, data collection, and analysis.
A survey that evaluated specific features of Gambassa was distributed to participants (see
Appendix H). The researcher’s goal was to collect a total of fifty student surveys (and more if
possible) and five teacher surveys. However, the researcher found it difficult get more than thirty
students to complete the survey. Many students were either too busy with prior commitments or
they did not want to spend the time to fill out a survey. The survey was used as an assessment
tool for measuring features of Gambassa that were valued the most and the least by teachers and
students, and to gauge the effectiveness of the platform by its users. The purpose was to focus
the researcher’s attention on specific features of Gambassa that were utilized for PBL. The
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survey data also provided a quantitative or numeric description of trends, attitudes, and/or
opinions of a population (teachers, students, and Gambassa Creator) by studying a sample of that
population (Creswell, 2009). Participants indicated how much they valued (or used) a specific
feature by writing a number from one to four in each box, with one indicating the least useful
and four indicating the most useful. The end of the survey included a constructive response
section for anecdotal notes on Gambassa’s effectiveness.
Data collection spanned approximately twelve weeks. The researcher organized
appointments with teachers and students to distribute the surveys. To save on time, the researcher
distributed many surveys on the same day as the focus group interviews and teacher interviews
(interviews explained in the next section). The potential duration of the survey was about ten
minutes, roughly five minutes to complete the checklist portion and five minutes to complete the
written response at the end. Data from the survey was analyzed to determine similarities and
differences in how various teachers and students utilized the different features of Gambassa,
especially in comparison to other schools. The notes were coded for patterns and themes as well.
Lastly, the survey data was disaggregated and placed in a bar graph from Microsoft Excel to
show which features of Gambassa were valued/used more than others (Fink, 2013).
Research Question 2
To address question number two, the researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with
two stakeholder groups – teachers and students. Student focus groups were conducted to
establish greater comfort levels for students and yield additional information. The purpose of the
interviews was to elicit varying opinions and views from the participants (Creswell, 2009). The
research question under investigation was: What are the relative merits of Gambassa over
alternatives as perceived by the teachers and students?
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Population and sample.
The subject population included five teachers and various students from two high schools
and two colleges. Focus groups of four to six students were supposed to be interviewed from
each school. However, due to time constraints and student unavailability, the researcher only
conducted three focus groups. Student ages ranged from 14 – 25 years old. All students had
experience using the Gambassa platform, prior to the interviews. To gain various perspectives,
teachers across multiple disciplines were included in the study. For example, the researcher
wanted to account for a math teacher’s perception of Gamabassa versus a science teacher’s
perception (see Table 3). To account for multiple perspectives, the researcher purposefully
selected teachers who could share insight across content levels (Creswell, 2009). Similarly, high
school students might have perceived Gambassa differently than college students.
Instrumentation, data collection, and analysis.
To familiarize participants with details of the study and to protect confidentiality, a
careful review of the items described in the Information Sheet (see Appendix F) were read.
Before starting the interviews, a Welcome Script was also read to participants (see Appendix H).
This script was intended to explicitly state the purpose of the interviews, clarify questions or
pending concerns, and set a positive tone before proceeding. Afterwards, the Interview Protocol
(see Appendix I) was used to guide the interview process. The interview questions were
grounded in PBL and TCE literature, all of which was reviewed in Chapter 2. The questions
were semi-structured to allow the researcher to ask follow-up questions for increased clarity or
greater details. Questions 3 and 4 of the protocol addressed specific merits of Gambassa, while
questions 6 and 7 focused on alternatives to Gambassa. Questions 1, 2, 5, and 8 were asked to
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provide context and allow the researcher to build rapport with the participants. Table 5 shows the
research question and interview questions.

Table 5
Research Question 2 and Proposed Instrument Questions
Research Question 2 Corresponding Interview Questions
What are the relative merits of
Gambassa over alternatives as
perceived by the teachers and
the students?
1. How did you come to use Gambassa for Project-Based
Learning?
2. How often do you use the Gambassa website?
3. Tell me about the different Gambassa
resources/features that you use.
4. Why do you choose to use these specific resources?
5. If a new student entered the class tomorrow, how
would you describe Gambassa?
6. What are some other Cloud Management Systems that
you find useful for PBL?
7. If you could choose between Gambassa and an
alternative CMS, which would you choose and why?
8. How would you describe your overall experience
using the Gambassa platform?

The interviews were semi-structured to allow for flexibility. Given the number of
students in each class period or college course (at least thirty), student focus groups were
conducted to reach more students in one sitting. Focus groups also afforded participants the
opportunity to combine ideas and comfortably engage in rich dialogue (Merriam, 2009). It took
the researcher approximately twelve weeks to collect data through interviews and focus groups.
The researcher arranged appointments to interview teachers, student focus groups, and the
Gambassa Creator separately. However, for teachers who attended the same school, the
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researcher attempted to schedule interviews on the same day to accommodate time constraints of
the researcher and/or participants. The potential duration of the interviews and focus groups
ranged from thirty minutes to one hour. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data
from the audio recordings, interview notes, and transcriptions were analyzed to determine
similarities and differences in participants’ responses. The notes were also coded for patterns and
themes and further analyzed in Chapter 4 of this study.
Research Question 3
To address question number three, the researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with
teachers and students who used the platform for PBL implementation. The research question
under investigation was: How are the promises and expectations of Gambassa manifested in
participating schools without an official contract, and what costs and benefits are associated
with this agreement? In other words, what do teachers and students expect to give and get by
using this vendor?
Population and sample.
This particular research question was directed toward the teachers and students. The same
students and teachers representing four different schools (two high schools and two colleges)
were interviewed. Teacher and student participants were currently using the Gambassa platform
for PBL implementation. As a result, teachers and students were not chosen at random to
participate in this study.
Instrumentation, data collection, and analysis.
The same Welcome Script and Interview Protocol (see Appendix H and Appendix I) was
used to conduct individual interviews with the teachers and student focus groups. It was essential
for the researcher and participants to engage in a conversation focused on questions related to the
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research study (DeMarrais, 2004). That being said, questions 9 – 11 specifically addressed
contracting and costs and benefits associated with the agreement between Gambassa and its
users. Question 12 addressed the type of relationships forged by the teachers/students and
Gambassa Creator. Lastly, questions 13 and 14 focused on how the promises and expectations of
Gambassa were manifested. Table 6 shows how the interview questions correspond to the third
research question.

Table 6
Research Question 3 and Proposed Instrument Questions
Research Question 3 Corresponding Interview Questions
How are the promises and
expectations of Gambassa
manifested in participating
schools without an official
contract, and what costs and
benefits are associated with this
agreement? In other words, what
do teachers and students expect
to get and give by using this
vendor?
9. Describe the benefits of using Gambassa for PBL?
How about the drawbacks?
10. If you had to purchase a license to use Gambassa,
would you still buy it? Why or why not?
11. What do you perceive as the advantages and/or
disadvantages of not being required to sign a formal
contract to use the Gambassa platform?
12. How would you describe you relationship with the
Gambassa Creator?
13. Have you ever contacted the Gambassa Creator
regarding a problem with the platform? If so, how
was your concern addressed?
14. If you could add or change one feature about
Gambassa, what would it be and why?

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Interview data was audio recorded, transcribed, coded, and disaggregated for possible
themes and patterns. Data collection spanned approximately twelve weeks. The researcher
scheduled appointments to interview teachers and conduct focus groups at the respective school
sites. For teachers who attended the same school, the researcher attempted to schedule interviews
on the same day but to no avail. Since teachers and students were not available at the same time,
separate interviews were conducted. The approximate duration of the interviews was thirty
minutes to one hour. A careful review of the Information Sheet was explained prior to starting
the interviews. Data from the audio recordings and interview notes was analyzed to determine
similarities and differences in the Gambassa experience for various teachers and students.
Research Question 4
To address question number four, the researcher had the unique opportunity to conduct an
interview with the Gambassa Creator. The question under investigation was: What transaction
costs are associated with managing Gambassa and what does the vendor expect to get and give
in working with the teachers?
Population and sample.
The Gambassa Creator could answer specific questions relating to transactions costs. As
a result, he was asked about transactions costs for managing the platform and his expectations
from working with the users. He also has the most insight on Gambassa’s progression throughout
the years. For these reasons, convenience sampling was the preferred methodology because only
the vendor could provide this information to the researcher. Since there is only one Gambassa
Creator, his perspective was invaluable to this study.
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Instrumentation, data collection, and analysis.
The same interview and survey instruments were used with the Gambassa Creator (see
Appendix G and Appendix I). This particular interview was useful because it allowed the
researcher gain a historical perspective of Gambassa, which is a necessary component of
qualitative studies (Creswell, 2009). Additionally, an interview with the Gambassa Creator was
critical to the study because only he could provide data on specific transactions costs related to
managing the platform. Based on the interview protocol, questions 15 – 21 provided a historical
context of PBL implementation with Gambassa, while also highlighting key features of the
platform that changed over time. Questions 22 – 24 focused on rapport, relationships, and
specific transaction costs for the Gambassa Creator. These questions also addressed teacher
application of PBL in the classroom. The researcher scheduled an appointment to interview the
Gambassa Creator, which lasted a little more than an hour. Data from the interview was collected
and analyzed in the same fashion as the previous research questions – audio recorded,
transcribed, coded, and disaggregated for possible themes and patterns. Table 7 depicts how the
interview questions correspond to the fourth research question.
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Table 7

Research Question 4 and Proposed Instrument Questions
Research Question 4 Corresponding Interview Questions
What transaction costs are
associated with managing
Gambassa and what does the
vendor expect to get and give in
working with the teachers?
15. Describe your inspiration for creating the
Gambassa platform.
16. If any, what CMS did you use prior to Gambassa?
17. How would you compare Gambassa to other PBL
platforms?
18. What are the some ways in which the website has
evolved over time?
19. What do you think accounts for these changes?
20. What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of
Gambassa?
21. In what ways have you solicited feedback,
opinions, and/or recommendations from teachers
and students?
22. Would you encourage other teachers to use
Gambassa for PBL implementation? Why or why
not?
23. Why would a district/school want to use Gambassa
for PBL implementation?
24. What transaction costs are associated with
managing Gambassa? In other words, is Gambassa
totally free?
a. On average, how much time do you spend
per day working on the platform?
b. How much time do you spend servicing
calls/emails and troubleshooting for users of
the platform?
c. What sacrifices are made at the expense of
managing Gambassa?

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Overall Data Analysis
Data from the interviews was audio recorded, transcribed, and coded for possible themes
and patterns. All other data, including that which was derived from the surveys, was analyzed to
determine similarities and differences in participants’ responses. The survey data was
disaggregated and placed in a bar graph to illustrate which features of Gambassa are valued more
over others. The next section of this study includes a more detailed description of how the data
was analyzed.
Inductive analysis, as described by Merriam (2009), was the primary mode of analysis for
this study. This comparative method assisted the researcher with finding connections among the
data. According to Merriam (2009), an inductive process involves the researcher gathering data
to build concepts, hypotheses, or theories rather than deductively testing hypotheses. Qualitative
researchers build toward theory from observations and intuitive understandings gleaned from
being in the field (Merriam, 2009). For the purpose of this qualitative study, information from
interviews, observations, and surveys was combined and ordered into larger themes as the
researcher worked from the particular to the general. To account for validity, the researcher
checked for accuracy of the findings by employing the following procedures listed in Table 8
(Creswell, 2009, p. 185).

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Table 8
Validating the Accuracy of the Information
1. Collect Raw Data (transcripts, field notes, etc.)
2. Organize and Prepare Data for Analysis
3. Look for Themes and Description
4. Code the Data (by hand or computer)
5. Read Through All the Data
6. Interrelate Themes/Description
7. Interpret the Meaning of Themes/Description
8. Write a Qualitative Narrative that Conveys the Findings
Note: Adapted from J. Creswell, 2009, p. 185. Copyright 2009 by Sage.

The researcher also utilized Moustakas’ (1994) phenomenological approach to analyzing
data from the interviews, observations, and surveys. Although Moustakas’ (1994) analytical
approach is similar to Creswell’s (2008) table above, the researcher benefited from a more
detailed approach to processing data. Table 9 provides a general outline of Moustakas’ (1994)
approach.

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Table 9
Data Analysis and Representation Process
Step Description
Data Managing • Create and organize files for data
Reading,
Memoing
• Read through text, make margin notes, form initial codes
Describing • Describe the meaning of the experience for the researcher
Classifying • Find and list statement of meaning for individuals
• Group statements into meaning units
Interpreting • Develop a textural description, “What happened?”
• Develop a structural description, “How” the phenomenon was
experienced
• Develop an overall description of the experience, the “essence”
Representing,
Visualizing
• Present narration of the “essence” of the experience; use tables or
figures of statements and meaning units
Note: Adapted from Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches,
by J. Creswell, 2003, p. 148. Copyright 2003 by Sage.

The qualitative data collected from focus groups and interviews was subject to data
reduction, preparation, and analysis. All focus groups and interviews were audio recorded and
transcribed into a Microsoft Word Document for further analysis. Data was also organized and
prepared systematically throughout the study at each data collection interval. After the data was
organized, the first step was known as epoche or bracketing, where the researcher set aside
judgments or preconceived experiences in order to understand the participants’ experiences
(Moustakas, 1994). Next, the researcher read through all of the qualitative data to get a “general
sense” of the information and to begin to ponder its potential meaning (Creswell, 2009). The
researcher then reread the text, making margin notes and forming initial codes. Reviewing the
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data helped build familiarity and conceptual understandings. Initial codes and memos that
represent emerging patterns and themes were developed for each of the following topics:
1. Overall experience with Gambassa
2. Positive experiences (benefits)
3. Negative experiences/obstacles (costs or drawbacks)
4. General implementation strategies
5. Novice with Gambassa platform (one year or less)
6. Novice to PBL (one year or less)
7. Experienced with Gambassa platform (two or more years)
8. Experienced with PBL (two or more years)
9. Alternatives to Gambassa
10. Alternatives to PBL
More codes were added as patterns emerged. After coding, the researcher provided a
description of her initial understanding of the PBL experience and informal contracting. Next,
the researcher listed significant statements, known as horizontalization of the data, for each of
the aforementioned topics (Creswell, 1998). Afterwards, statements were reduced to eliminate
repetitiveness and then clustered into themes or “meaning units” (Creswell, 1998, p. 150). The
next step entailed writing a textural description “of the experience – what happened – including
verbatim examples” (Creswell, 1998, p. 150). The researcher then compiled a structural
description of how the phenomenon was experienced, and sought to consider multiple meanings
and perspectives. Following this order, an overarching description of the lived experience or
essence was developed and represented in a qualitative narrative that conveyed the findings of
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the analysis. Finally, the larger meaning of the PBL experience and informal contracting was
extrapolated and interpreted.
Summary
Qualitative research is a type of research that encompasses a number of philosophical
orientations and approaches. According to Merriam (2009), qualitative inquiry emphasizes
experience, understanding, and meaning-making, with the researcher as the primary instrument
in data collection and analysis. As such, the data collected included experiences and perceptions
of teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator. This qualitative study used a basic interpretive
methodology to analyze data through interviews and surveys. A dual approach to collecting data
was necessary to identify specific transaction costs related to informal contracting and PBL
implementation, and to create a deeper understanding of the Gambassa experience. The data
collected from this study was further analyzed using an inductive analysis procedure, in hopes of
yielding valuable insights into teacher and student use of Gambassa for PBL.
The research questions under investigation related to the use of the Gambassa website for
PBL implementation. Components of TCE were also embedded within some of the questions,
such as characteristics of informal contracting and the costs associated with using the platform.
This study’s methodology and approach to information gathering was intended to be feasible and
meet IRB approval. Based on the findings, the researcher was afforded the opportunity to
speculate about the future of informal contracting as it relates to PBL services and Cloud
Management Systems in general. The next section of this study will present the research
findings.
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CHAPTER 4
ANALYSIS OF DATA AND FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to explore technology use during Project-Based Learning
(PBL) in two high schools and two colleges, specifically with the Gambassa website. Major
topics included specific components of Gambassa that bolster PBL implementation and its
usefulness in education. Currently, there is a shortage of free Cloud Management Systems and
technology resources specifically designed for PBL implementation. Technology resources that
are available tend to be costly or require a formal contract for product use. As a result, this
qualitative study sought to examine the relationships forged between Gambassa (vendor) and the
four schools (firms) using the platform. The researcher also gathered data on the influence of
informal contracting and transaction costs associated with using and managing the platform.
This research topic is opportune in light of increasing efforts by districts and schools to
promote authentic models of learning such as PBL. Systematic implementation of PBL is also
becoming a nationwide phenomenon. This study adds to the literature pertaining to technology-
supported PBL with a Cloud-based Management System (CMS), such as Gambassa. The
findings in this study may be used to further develop and refine informal contracting as it relates
to PBL implementation.
Highlighted in this chapter are the findings from surveys, student focus groups, and
individual interviews conducted with the teachers and Gambassa Creator. The experiences and
perceptions of high school students, college students, teachers, and the Gambassa Creator were
invaluable to the study. As a result, data from all primary sources were collected and organized
by key themes, emerging patterns, and anecdotal notes. The next section of this chapter conveys
the composite findings and data analysis.
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Organization of Data Analysis
This study employed a qualitative approach to reflect the lived experiences of students
and teachers using Gambassa for PBL implementation. The researcher also examined the impact
of informal contracting on accessibility, productivity, and reliability for Gambassa users. Data
analysis involved identifying key themes from initial codes and memos that represented
emerging patterns in the transcripts. In order to identify themes, the data was subject to
clustering and thematic titles (Creswell, 1998). Systematically throughout the data collection
process, audio recordings were transcribed into a Microsoft Word document for further analysis.
Data from the surveys were disaggregated, coded, and charted within Microsoft Excel for
recurring themes between the students and the teachers.
The researcher collected data by attempting to conduct five small qualitative focus groups
with students from each school. Approximately thirty-five students were invited to participate in
the focus groups; twenty of these students actually participated in the study. Some students could
not commit to the focus groups due to time constraints and prior obligations. Ten of the
participating students were from the Environmental Charter High School (ECHS). They were
originally two focus groups, but the researcher combined them into one group. Two additional
focus groups from Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) were included in the study, totaling six
students in one focus group and four students in another focus group. These focus groups
occurred on two separate days. All focus groups were conducted face-to-face. Individual
interviews were conducted with the five teachers and the Gambassa Creator, totaling six
interviews. Regarding the survey, thirty students participated. Survey participants represented
San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC), ECHS, and MSJC. Four teachers also participated in
the survey, which made for thirty-four total surveys. Findings from the focus groups, individual
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interviews, and surveys are conveyed throughout this chapter. Narratives, rich descriptions,
tables, and charts are used to characterize the findings.
Four overarching research questions were used to guide the study. All questions were
grounded in Project-Based Learning and Transaction Cost Economics literature, reviewed in
Chapter 2 of this study. The questions are as follows:
1. What specific features of the Gambassa platform appear to be of greater value to
some stakeholders than others and how effective is Gambassa for PBL
implementation across different disciplines?
2. What are the relative merits of Gambassa over alternatives as perceived by the
teachers and the students?
3. How are the promises and expectations of Gambassa manifested in participating
schools without an official contract, and what costs and benefits are associated with
this agreement? In other words, what do teachers and students expect to get and give
by using this vendor?
4. What transaction costs are associated with managing Gambassa and what does the
vendor expect to get and give in working with the teachers?
The first research question was intended to assess and measure those features of
Gambassa that were valued the most and the least by teachers and students, and to gauge the
effectiveness of the platform across content areas and by its users. The second research question
addressed specific merits of Gambassa, while also focusing on possible alternatives to
Gambassa. Questions three and four were specifically designed to address transaction cost
economics (TCE) and informal contracting. Question four is the only question that was revised
for the study. Originally, question four stated, “How and why has the platform changed over the
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years? For those who implemented PBL before Gambassa, what is different?” The researcher
realized the critical importance of directing a question toward the Gambassa Creator, an
important asset to this study. The revised question was tailored to focus on specific transaction
costs between the Gambassa Creator and the teachers. The Gambassa Creator was also better
equipped to provide a historical timeline of the changes over time, changes that were possibly
related to TCE.
Characteristics of Respondents
Respondents for the individual interviews included three high school teachers and two
college Professors who used Gambassa for PBL implementation in their classrooms. Prior to the
study, the Gambassa Creator had established relationships with all of the teachers. Due to
informal contracting, these respondents had free access to the resources provided by the
Gambassa platform. The researcher was particularly interested in learning which features of
Gambassa were most attractive to the teachers and how they used the website to manage
projects. To capture multiple perspectives and applications for Gambassa, the researcher
interviewed teachers who used the platform across different disciplines. As a result, a science
teacher, a math teacher, an electives teacher, and two music Professors were interviewed.
Although the science teacher was retired, this teacher had utilized Gambassa four years prior to
the study.
Other stakeholder groups included students and the Gambassa Creator. Student
participants represented three firms – Environmental Charter High School, San Bernardino
Valley College, and Mt. San Jacinto College. Even though Frances High School was named in
the study, there were no student representatives included from this firm. For the purpose of this
study, all students were enrolled in a class with a teacher who used Gambassa (vendor) for PBL
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implementation. Working knowledge of how to navigate web-based tools for PBL was required
by the students. Prior to the study, students also needed to sign up for a Gambassa account. All
respondents – teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator – provided rich descriptions that
conveyed the overall findings of the study. The next section of this study details findings from
the primary sources of data collection – surveys, focus groups, and interviews.
Findings for Research Question 1
What specific features of the Gambassa platform appear to be of greater value to some
stakeholders than others and how effective is Gambassa for PBL implementation across different
disciplines?
Survey Findings
The researcher distributed an anonymous survey to teachers and students to address the
first research question. For the survey (see Appendix G), thirty-four participants were asked to
rate their use of the different Gambassa features during Project-Based Learning. The five major
components included in the survey were Social Engagement, Organizational Tools, Content
Management, Curricula, and E-commerce. The rating scale was as follows: 1 = Not at All, 2 = A
Little, 3 = Adequately, and 4 = To a Great Extent. To elicit personal narratives, the survey
concluded with a short-answer response to the question, “Do you think Gambassa is an effective
website for PBL implementation? Why or why not?” A narrative description of the survey
findings, supported with pie charts and graphs, is included in the next section.
Overall component ratings. Since teacher and student ratings were similar for all five
components, the data were combined. Data from the survey revealed that Social Engagement,
Content Management, and Curricula had the highest ratings, with more than 50% of the thirty-
four participants indicating 3s and 4s for usage. These percentages show the importance and
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popularity of three out of five major Gambassa components, as they relate to PBL
implementation. Teacher and student responses were quantified in a pie chart representing each
of the three components. Figure 5 depicts participant ratings for three of the five components.

Figure 5. Participant ratings for 3 of 5 Gambassa components.
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Participants also rated their overall use of Organizational Tools and E-commerce.
Percentage wise, Organizational Tools was not ranked as high as the aforementioned
components. Only 34% of the participants indicated 3s and 4s for usage with Organizational
Tools. However, an additional 29% of the participants indicated a little usage with
Organizational Tools, which shows the relative importance of this component versus none at all.
E-commerce showed the lowest ratings, with 56% of the participants indicating no use at all. It is
important to note that E-commerce is a newer component and is currently being developed. This
component is also a cost feature. Consequently, participants need income to purchase the
products. Figure 6 illustrates the overall ratings for Organizational Tools and E-commerce.

Figure 6. Participant ratings for 2 of 5 Gambassa components.
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Category ratings. Within each of the five major Gambassa components, there are several
individual categories (see Appendix G for specific categories). In addition to rating their overall
use of the five major components, participants were also asked to rate their overall use of the
individual categories within each component. The researcher quantified the data in Microsoft
Excel and created bar graphs to depict category ratings for each component. The y-axis for all
bar graphs represents the number of participants, while the x-axis represents specific categories
under each major component. According to the survey, all categories (Newsfeed, Profiles,
Portfolio, Discussions, and Connections) under Social Engagement seemed favorable to the user,
with more than 50% of the participants indicating 3s (adequate) and 4s (to a great extent) for
each category. Figure 7 illustrates the findings for category ratings under Social Engagement.

Figure 7. Category ratings for Social Engagement.

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The survey data indicated more variation within the category ratings under
Organizational Tools. Categories under this component include: Messaging, Groups, Calendar,
Events, Attendance, Contacts, and Scheduler. The Attendance, Contacts, and Scheduler
categories received lower ratings than the Messaging, Groups, Calendar, and Events categories.
Although the findings show that some categories under Organizational Tools are valued or used
more for PBL, while other categories are not as useful. Each participant also has different uses
for these categories, as evidenced in the findings. Figure 8 illustrates these findings.

Figure 8. Category ratings for Organizational Tools.

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Overall category ratings under Content Management were more favorable to participants.
The categories under this component include: Video, Audio, Images, Contacts, Files, RSS,
Blogs, and Web Documents. Participants rated all categories, except RSS and Blogs, with more
3s (adequate usage) and 4s (usage to a great extent) than 1s (no usage) and 2s (little usage). RSS
and Blogs were seen as highly unfavorable to more than half of the participants, as opposed to
the other categories under content management, which were more favorable. This may indicate
that RSS and Blogs are not as vital to the PBL process. Figure 9 portrays these findings.

Figure 9. Category ratings for Content Management.

For category ratings under Curricula, Projects and Files were heavily favored, with the
majority of participants indicating 3’s and 4’s for usage. On the contrary, Ebooks, eWorkbooks,
and Online Courses were the least utilized, with the majority of participants indicating no usage
for these categories. These findings indicate that the Projects and Files features are beneficial and
useful for PBL. The evidence also shows that Ebooks, eWorkbooks, and Online Courses may be
more beneficial for tasks outside of PBL. Figure 10 depicts these findings in a bar graph.
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Figure 10. Category ratings for Curricula.

Similar to the overall ratings for E-commerce, all categories under this component
revealed the least favorable ratings. The majority of participants indicated no desire to use
Products, Services, Subscriptions, and Licenses. The findings may indicate that these categories
are not as pertinent or relevant to PBL. It is also important to note that the E-commerce
component is a cost feature. The fees may be a deterrent for some students, especially for those
who do not have the income to purchase products. Figure 11 conveys these findings in a bar
graph.
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Figure 11. Category ratings for E-commerce.

Short answer survey responses. Participants also indicated whether or not they felt
Gambassa was an effective website for PBL implementation. Recurring themes in their
responses included accessibility, efficiency, speed, helpfulness, social networking/community,
and organization. The findings revealed that the Projects category was the most popular feature
used for PBL. Participants who disagreed with Gambassa’s effectiveness attributed it to a
confusing and complex platform. The narrative responses of the survey were divided into three
categories: (1) teacher responses, (2) high school student responses, and (3) college student
responses.
All teachers who participated in the survey indicated positive results from utilizing the
Gambassa platform. Teachers appreciated the multi-faceted services that Gambassa provides.
Specific highlights that teachers shared were the benefits of uploading, organizing, and accessing
PBL projects online. Another valued service was the ability to share feedback and communicate
with the Gambassa Creator. Because Gambassa is designed to accommodate web-based PBL, the
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platform conveniently modernizes instruction through technology. Teachers mentioned the
benefits of storing student work on-line, instead of in files. Additionally, all projects can be
electronically stored on one interface. One teacher was particularly appreciative of the Gambassa
Creator’s willingness to hear feedback and meet the needs of teachers using the platform. The
researcher’s overall impression from the teachers was that Gambassa was an effective platform
for PBL. Table 10 shows the teachers’ constructive responses to the survey, along with
highlighted themes.

Table 10

Teacher Survey Responses

Do you think Gambassa is
an effective website for
PBL implementation?
Why or why not?
*Recurring themes are
accessibility, efficiency,
speed, helpfulness, social
networking/community,
projects, organization,
and complexity. The
bolded words relate to the
themes.
1. “Yes, for its ability of uploading web documents and
storage space.”
2. “Yes, I do believe Gambassa is an effective website because
it gives students an organized place to do their assignment
and projects.”
3. “It is the most powerful and effective tool I know of for PBL.
I used it for 4 years and saw improvement in my students
during that time in the quality of their writing and projects
because they did it in community and it was published in a
public place where thousands could access it. Knowing
previous students had their project looked at over 100,000
times made them perk up! Community work beats
individual. Public display beats filing in an obscure file
cabinet.”
4. Gambassa is the future for PBL implementation. There is
great potential for Gambassa to set the standard for what a
PBL online platform should be. There is also a willingness
for the creator to hear feedback from educators and make
continuous improvements to meet our needs.

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Short answer responses from the survey elicited similar reactions from the high school
students. They too were excited about completing projects online and sharing positive feedback
about Gambassa. The majority of high school students felt that Gambassa was helpful in getting
them started with a project. They mentioned saving time because it was easier and faster to
complete the projects online. Gambassa also assisted students in organizing and keeping track of
their work. Students indicated that they liked communicating and collaborating with their peers
on-line. Unlike the teachers, some of the students expressed some difficulties with setting up the
projects. While this frustrated a couple of students, it did not deter them from highlighting
Gambassa’s effectiveness. One student even expressed excitement over having an alternative to
note taking and lectures. This may indicate that students prefer to use an online platform for
completing projects. Another student enjoyed the hands-on experience that Gambassa provides,
also indicating a preference for online learning. Table 11 conveys the students’ findings
regarding Gambassa’s effectiveness.
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Table 11

High School Survey Responses
Do you think Gambassa
is an effective website for
PBL implementation?
Why or why not?
*Recurring themes are
accessibility, efficiency,
speed, helpfulness, social
networking/community,
projects, organization,
and complexity. The
bolded words relate to the
themes.
1. “Yes, it’s easier to use and much easier to complete projects
online. It’s also better for teachers because they can grade
your work faster.”
2. “Yes, because you can learn from other students and learn
as you go along while posting on their blog. But we don’t
receive a lot of newsfeed. I think if we got more newsfeed
back, we could of gained more from it [Gambassa].”
3. “Yes, I think so because it was really easy and helpful to
use. It helped me keep track and gave dates on when the
project should be done, so we finished on time. It was also
designed to be very easy and helpful to find whatever we
needed. Overall, it is a good website.”
4. “It’s a great start. Its effectiveness is hindered by its
complexity. It is difficult for students to set up projects.”
5. “Yes, because when we did our Gambassa project, it was
very easy to put in information, organize our work, we could
include images, not blurry images at all. It is a great program
to do projects on! I think more teachers and teens should use
Gambassa for projects.”
6. “Yes because it takes away the usual learning of lectures and
note taking. From my point of view, I don’t really like
lectures since they are boring. When my teacher gave us an
assignment to do on Gambassa, it really made it feel hands
on and I liked it.”
7. “Yes, I think Gambassa is an effective website for PBL
implementation because not only does it keep everything on
track but it’s very organized. Using this program saves lots
of time with the organizing.”
8. “I think Gambassa is an effective website for PBL
implementation because it helped me understand the project
done on Gambassa more efficiently. This is why Gambassa is
an effective website.”
9. “I think Gambassa is an effective website because we were
all doing the same projects online and learning the same
material.”
10. “I liked doing a project online, but it took me a while to
figure things out. My teacher gave us lots of guidance. I
would recommend Gambassa for other classes.”
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The college students’ responses varied on the topic of Gambassa’s effectiveness. Overall,
the students felt that Gambassa was purposeful, helpful, and adequate for online learning and
submitting projects online. They also shared more comments about networking/communicating
with classmates and the teacher than the high school students. This may indicate that college
students were more inclined or expected to communicate with their Professor through Gambassa.
Similarly, college students may be more equipped with technology devices such as
computers/laptops and cell phones, which can be used for online communication. College
students generally have more access to computer labs on their campus as well. Compared to the
high school students, some college students experienced more confusion and difficulty with the
Gambassa platform. Since college students do not attend the same class everyday, they might
have had less exposure to teacher-facilitated use of Gambassa, compared to high school students
who attend class everyday. College students also navigate other online platforms, such as
Blackboard, which may take time away from learning the Gambassa platform. Table 12
illustrates the college students’ responses to Gambassa’s effectiveness.
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Table 12

College Survey Responses
Do you think Gambassa is an
effective website for PBL
implementation? Why or why
not?
*Recurring themes are
accessibility, efficiency, speed,
helpfulness, social
networking/community,
projects, organization, and
complexity. The bolded words
relate to the themes.
1. “Gambassa is very confusing and hard to figure out how to maneuver
around while taking a class.”
2. “Gambassa is great for online learning. However, I have an older
computer so whenever I try to watch videos it will freeze and I have to
shut it down.”
3. “Yes, it is good for doing projects online.”
4. “Yes, it is interesting and useful as soon as you learn it well.”
5. “I think it would be very helpful if I explored more of the website.
Overall, it seems to be very useful.”
6. “For projects it is very effective, but I am not sure for long-term use.”
7. “Yes, because it lets us add what we want on there!”
8. “Gambassa allows the student to connect with the teacher and
classmates effectively and quickly if need be.”
9. “I think in concept and execution it does very well, but in presentation
I have found a lot of things overly complex – such as creating a
project. Processes that could be much more simple have been a bit
too involved. The ‘group’ implementation is really well done,
though.”
10. “For what I used Gambassa for, I believe it is very effective for high
school as well as the college level.”
11. “Yes, Gambassa allows me to efficiently work and talk with my
Professor without any fault in the program.”
12. “It is a helpful website since it [is] technologically reliable and
adequate.”
13. “Yes, I do, I just think it can be bothersome to check Gambassa and
Blackboard for messages.”
14. “It is because you can easily interact with other people if you need
the help. It’s convenient.”
15. “I do think Gambassa is effective, it just needs to be more recognized
by other teachers and schools.”
16. “I do think that Gambassa is effective for projects, but I feel like it’s
not a very well known source online. I had not heard of it before I
took this music class. It just needs more exposure.”
17. “Gambassa is a confusing website. I don’t think it is very effective.”
18. “It is a very adequate tool because of its capabilities.”
19. “Gambassa is not the easiest website to use but it’s helpful for going
over past work and projects.”
20. “I think Gambassa is an effective website because it has all the
essentials for project building, group activities, and other
interactions.”
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The findings from research question 1 corroborate Gambassa’s overall effectiveness.
Teachers and students were provided with an accessible, integrated platform designed to foster
PBL implementation. The features support project management, organization, and web-based
networking, to name a few. The findings confirm Gambassa’s effectiveness to facilitate online
PBL. The next section of this chapter details the findings related to research question 2.
Findings for Research Question 2
What are the relative merits of Gambassa over alternatives as perceived by the teachers
and the students?
Focus Group and Interview Findings
The researcher conducted face-to-face interviews with teachers and students to elicit their
opinions about the merits of Gambassa and possible alternatives to the platform. To account for
multiple perspectives, the researcher conducted one focus group at the Environmental Charter
High School and two focus groups at Mt. San Jacinto College. Interviews were conducted for all
five teachers as well. Key themes and patterns emerged for the focus groups and teacher
interviews. The next section of this paper includes detailed responses from both stakeholder
groups, including similarities and differences.
Student focus groups.
All students were introduced to Gambassa through their teacher/Professor. They were not
familiar with the platform prior to using it in their classes. General uses of the Gambassa
platform for students included uploading projects, checking for updates, communicating with the
teacher/Professor, and group management. Since the responses from high school students and
college students varied, their data is reported separately. Substantive differences between the
high schools students and college students included subject matter and time spent using
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Gambassa in class. For example, the high schools students used Gambassa daily to complete an
on-line math project. In contrast, the college students used Gambassa twice a week in their music
class. For these reasons, the focus group data were separated into two groups.
Focus group 1 (FG1) – high school students.
Projects. The high school students in this focus group used Gambassa during their math
class. Student 6 reported, “My teacher introduced us to Gambassa and explained that we were
going to each do a Car Project.” According to their teacher, the purpose of the Car Project was to
explore the costs of owning a car. Students selected a car from Edmunds.com and posted images
of the car to their Gambassa page. They used an assigned FICO score to investigate what interest
rates they would qualify for and calculated monthly car payments, ultimately comparing the
overall costs of various loan terms. Students also looked at data for their car’s five-year cost of
ownership, gas costs, and car insurance. Students then wrote a report on Gambassa with their
findings.
The features that students used most were video, pictures, projects, and the calendar.
When asked how often they used the website, Student 3 explained, “We basically used it
[Gambassa] the whole class period. The teacher would put up a question and we would have to
answer it. Everything for the Car Project was organized and set up on Gambassa.” Student 6
added, “We can like do our projects on the website and the teacher checks it, that sort of thing.”
If students needed help with their projects or with navigating the platform, they looked to their
peers and teacher. Overall, students learned how to complete an online project using Gambassa.
Alternative websites. Students were asked if they had used or been exposed to other
Cloud Management Systems (CMSs) for PBL. Student 9 responded, “When I was in middle
school, one of my teachers had a Twitter account and that’s how we communicated with the
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teacher when we had like a question on the assignment, but we didn’t do projects or anything.”
Student 5 commented, “When I was in middle school in 8
th
grade, we had to do a book reading
project called ‘Good Reads.’ We would write or respond to a book. We had a question from the
teacher and we all like made an account to speak to her.” Student 6 added, “Yeah, I have used
Google before in my history class. I like Gambassa a lot better. It’s like organized and a lot better
for projects like the Car Project.” Student 3 stated, “I remember in one of my classes we did
research and everything, but our teacher had her own blog. We did our research and then we
made like a post of what we were researching about. But it was like unorganized and all over the
place.” For these students, Gambassa was highly favored over alternative websites.
Overall experience. Students reported positive experiences with the Gambassa platform.
Student 4 delightfully stated, “It helps you be more organized and not like go crazy because you
lost something or you can’t find your work. You can finish quicker because you know where
everything is.” Student 6 agreed by stating, “It keeps everything neat and pretty so like you can
be organized and your work is like there if you need it. You can’t lose your work in any way, so
it’s great.” Lastly, Student 9 asserted, “I like the fact that I can go back and look at my project
after it’s graded. I want to see where I messed up and what I could have changed to make it
better.”
Merits of Gambassa. The researcher asked the students to explain how Gambassa
differed from other CMSs in terms of organization and the projects feature. Student 4 stated, “I
think Gambassa is easier because you can actually see the layout and like, you’re not stressed on
how to work with it. Everything is there for you, so I think Gambassa’s a lot easier for us
students to use.” Student 5 went on to add, “Um, Gambassa is really organized. Like, it’s not
complicated like other websites. Like there’s a lot of features that you could use, which is like
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really hard to use on other websites.” Student 2 shared the same sentiment by saying, “I think it
was way more organized and it was actually better because Gambassa gave us a calendar of
when we should do our project and finish it on time. So it was better.” When asked about their
favorite feature of Gambassa, the students unanimously agreed on the Calendar. Student 6
expressed, “Some people are lazy like me and I sometimes don’t do my homework because I
don’t remember. So like it’s important for me to know when do something on time, if something
is there to remind me at home I know I have to do it.” The Calendar feature helped teach the
students time management, an important school and life skill.
The students were also asked how they would describe their Gambassa experience to
another person. Student 4 explained, “I would tell them that it’s a good website. It’s good to use
for your project and to make your project more like exciting and fun. I don’t think people will
slack on the project with Gambassa because it’s easy and the calendar is there to help you.”
Student 3 added, “Well, I think it was pretty fun doing my projects there because it wasn’t hard
at all. Everything was there, but on other blogs it’s like hard to find everything in one place.”
Student 7 stated, “I do enjoy using it because there was like easy access and stuff. There’s really
nothing complicated about it and you can work on it at home.” Another comment made by
Student 4 was, “With me, I only had forty-five minutes a day for this project. So I got used to it
in like five minutes and I could do lots of things with my project.” Overall, the students
expressed very positive experiences with the Gambassa platform.
Focus group 2 and 3 (FG2, FG3) – college students.
Projects. Since FG2 and FG3 contained students from the same college and course, the
researcher combined their responses in this section. These students used Gambassa for their
Music 101 class. As a result, similar themes for each focus group were highlighted. Like the high
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school students, both focus group students were equipped with a computer during class to work
on their projects. Students could also work on their projects from home. According to Student 4
in FG2, “students upload their Noteflight projects to Gambassa in order to send it to the
Professor.” The students explained Noteflight as an online music writing application that lets
people create, view, print, and hear music notation from any web browser. Student 1 in FG2
stated that all projects are due through Gambassa. Students also receive updates and message
their Professor or other classmates through Gambassa. A general consensus was that students
mainly used Gambassa for posting projects, communicating with the Professor and/or
classmates, checking for updates, emailing, and scheduling.
Alternative websites. The researcher asked the students if they use any other website for
their classes or PBL. All students confirmed that they have Blackboard accounts through the
college. Blackboard functions as an E-learning platform for Professors/teachers and students and
is often used for posting, uploading, communicating, and sharing course content. Student 3 in
FG2 explained, “We mainly use Blackboard to upload or download things for our classes and
check our grades. We don’t really use it to work on or complete projects. It’s kind of not
designed for that.” Student 5 in FG2 added, “For our Sociology class, we submit papers and
stuff, usually our homework online through Blackboard. That’s pretty much it.” Students were
asked, “If given the choice between Gambassa and another website for completing projects,
which would they choose and why?” Student 3 from FG3 replied, “Once you get the hang of it
[Gambassa], it’s actually really good for projects. I wouldn’t be able to choose another website
because I have not seen one where we can do online projects like in our music class.” Similarly,
Student 1 in FG3 expressed, “I guess since there isn’t really another website that I know, I would
choose Gambassa. It was confusing at first, but it was just a matter of going through it and
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getting comfortable.” Gambassa was clearly the only PBL website that students had been
exposed to. Another student mentioned using Google in his other classes, but admitted that it was
not very useful for uploading and editing a project for class.
Overall experience. Student opinions varied on this topic. For example, Student 2 in FG2
stated, “I find it a little hard to navigate when I am going to post a project. If I didn’t have these
problems, it would be better. It’s just, you know, too confusing.” Another student added, “I don’t
know, I guess there are too many steps and lot of different things. I am not a techie person, so I
wish it was easier to use, like less steps or something.” On the contrary, Student 3 from FG3
stated,
I believe that Gambassa is pretty useful overall, it just needs to be used between more
classes and everywhere else. I mean it seems like a very useful thing to be able to
navigate with not only your school files, but you can add photos and a lot of other things.
It’s nice to be able to share a lot, I mean you can pretty much share anything with anyone.
I don’t think there are too many steps, you just have to pay attention to what you are
doing or else you could do it wrong, like everything else that requires steps.
Student 5 from FG3 echoed this same sentiment by adding,
Yeah I agree with what he said. Like if all my classes used Gambassa, I would know like
a lot more about it. It is almost like a Facebook for school because you can upload all
your projects and pictures. So I feel like if all my classes used it, I would know way
more, but it’s still nice to use for this music class. And at home we can do our projects, so
we are not just stuck doing it in class.
Lastly, Student 4 from FG3 asserted, “Gambassa can be kind of tricky with the steps, but I found
that if you paid attention the first time, it makes a difference. Like me, it took me no time to
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figure stuff out ‘cause I wanted to learn it. Now I know it.” Gambassa resonated differently with
various students, which is to be expected when people are introduced to something new.
Merits of Gambassa. Gambassa has many components and serves many purposes. When
students were asked about specific benefits of the platform, Student 1 from FG2 commented,
“You have to think in terms of like what this class would be without Gambassa. It obviously
wouldn’t work with Blackboard. I also like the Group Management feature, that is its strength.”
Additionally, Student 3 from FG2 indicated, “The biggest benefits would be that it [Gambassa]
has a lot of features that you can play with and use for other things. I just wish we could explore
more of the features in this class, but there is hardly any time to get through all the content.”
These were a small sample of the student comments.
Teacher interviews.
The researcher interviewed five educators in total, three of which were high school
teachers and two of which were college Professors. These educators all used Gambassa for PBL
implementation. The high school teachers were introduced to the platform through
Environmental Charter High School, a huge proponent and advocate for PBL. One of the
Professors went to college with the Gambassa Creator. When Gambassa was launched, the
Professor was approached by the creator about using the website with his students. The other
college Professor heard about the platform through her colleague and proceeded to learn more
about Gambassa. Similar themes and patterns highlighted in the focus groups also emerged
during the teacher interviews. Since the teachers had a more personal relationship with the
Gambassa Creator, they referred to him by his first name, Gary. For this reason, the researcher
switched to using the name Gary when reporting the findings from teacher interviews.
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Projects. Although the teachers had various uses for Gambassa, they all used the platform
for student projects and assignments. The teachers also unanimously stated that they used the
platform daily, especially when a project was coming up. Teacher D and Teacher C depended
heavily on the platform to deliver their course content. Teacher D indicated, “I use Gambassa on
a daily basis. I have three online music classes and you know, Gambassa is the core of those
three classes. My students are required to use Gambassa for their assignments.” Regarding actual
projects, Teacher D explained, “I assign concert reports and a research project to all my students
and I use Gambassa for that. So students create a project and it’s a work in progress. So through
the semester, they can send me their work and I just give them feedback. I return it to them and
we go back and forth. When the project is finished, I sign off on it and give them a grade for it.”
Teacher C used the platform to teach a high school elective. The elective class is called
“In True Fashion,” a program that fosters entrepreneurial thinking. Students in the elective class
depended on Gambassa to complete video assignments, group discussions, and Q&A (question
and answer). Since Teacher E, a music Professor, was the newest user of Gambassa, she wanted
to conduct a “trial run.” Consequently, she only assigned extra credit projects on Gambassa for
her Music Fundamental class. Teacher E did assert that she would like to fully implement
Gambassa in the next semester. Regarding projects, Teacher E explained, “There are two types
of projects that student use Gambassa for. Students have to upload either video files or MP3
files. Then they need to transcribe music on Noteflight, such as Pop music, and upload it onto
Gambassa.”
Teacher A, a former curriculum technologist and retired Biology teacher, relied heavily
on Gambassa as well. Students in his classes used the platform everyday for six or seven weeks.
Teacher A explained,
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For my honors biology class, big projects done on Gambassa included research papers
with hyper links and creating web documents for all sources…and so anytime I’m
reading a student’s paper and it starts to sound sourcy, I’d click on the hyperlink and it
would just take me back to their source and I could check to see if they plagiarized or
not…That is pretty technical, to do all the hyper linking, and it teaches them
responsibility.
Gambassa also allowed Teacher A to create a rubric, which was posted for the students to copy.
Additionally, Gambassa allowed these students to paste their paper into a discussion for peer
editing and make changes accordingly. Teacher B also used Gambassa daily, stating that her
students “used Gambassa every day to complete their Car Project, which was a math unit that
lasted about three and half weeks.” Overall, the teachers described Gambassa as incredibly
useful, especially for student projects.
Alternative websites. Teachers were asked about other websites or Cloud Management
Systems (CMSs) that they found useful for PBL implementation. Teacher D shared his thoughts
by stating,
At the community college, they give us Blackboard. I’m certified in Blackboard. I
learned that first. But Blackboard is very limiting. I’ve seen emails where they said that
you’re only allowed to put one gig [gigabyte] of information on Blackboard for your
class. I thought that was ridiculous, especially for something like a music class. I
probably have, I don’t know, five hundred recordings and maybe a hundred videos.
That’s a lot of gigabytes. The school also suggested EduStream, but that would just break
down all the time.
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Teacher D echoed the same sentiment by explaining, “I only know Blackboard, but it is kind of
limited because the size of the files is not enough. There’s a limitation of uploading materials.
Music has big files, so we need more space. Blackboard is also only available during the
semester, I can’t use it during the summer.” Both music Professors were visibly frustrated with
the limits of Blackboard. Teacher B shared that her school “relies heavily on Google Docs, like
Google forms and spreadsheets,” but she did not indicate another PBL platform that has been
useful.
Teacher A and Teacher C had similar comments regarding alternative PBL websites.
Teacher A indicated that even though he had extensive experience building web pages, “there
was just nothing that really integrated like Gambassa.” Teacher C explained that she “was not
able to find anything that would accommodate her program.” Teacher comments revealed that
alternative PBL platforms to Gambassa were either inaccessible or did not include all of the
integrated features that Gambassa provides.
Overall experience. The teachers expressed positive experiences with the Gambassa
platform. Teacher B indicated, “It was two things. It was rewarding, especially when the projects
were done, they looked very cool. So it’s rewarding in that way. It was also a little frustrating.
Since many of my kids were not particularly computer literate, they needed an easier way to log
on and set up their project – there were just lots of steps.” A short anecdote that Teacher B
shared was as follows:
I remember specifically a group of boys who never speak and I actually put them in a
group on purpose to see if they would communicate. For one part of the Car Project they
were supposed to be sharing ideas and I was about to get on their cases because they
weren’t even talking. Then I looked and they were all using the Gambassa chat feature.
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They were actually having a conversation sitting next to each other on three different
computers using Gambassa chat, which was funny but it was kind of eye opening that for
these kids, that feature really worked for them.
Teacher A added, “Our experience has been very, very positive. I am seeing absolutely how
imperative it is for us [In True Fashion] to scale and Gambassa has really allowed us to see that.
Our program is growing and we are bringing it to other cities and schools. We’re finally able to
really show what it looks because of Gambassa.”
Teacher D was excited to share his overall experience. He emphatically stated,
Oh, man. This may sound like a hallmark moment, but it’s really empowering. I’ve been
able to create an environment for all my students, even my face-to-face classes, that I
didn’t before. Maybe I was able to do it on Blackboard, but it didn’t have the same
feeling. Look at the possibilities. At first, I would have said my overall experience was
frustrating because it took me a while. There were some days I was up until 2 am with
Gary on the phone. He was teaching me how to do this stuff. But once I got, I mean, that
was it. And literally, when I got it, I was about to say, ‘Okay, this is how I can teach my
students to use it so that it doesn’t take them long to learn it. I figured out a system. So
again, that’s how it has been empowering.
The comments made by the teachers demonstrate how Gambassa has enhanced their instructional
practice and inspired their students.
Merits of Gambassa. Gambassa is intended to benefit teachers and students by equipping
them with multiple resources for PBL implementation. That being said, the researcher was
interested in how the teachers perceived Gambassa. Teacher E appreciated having access to a
platform that allows her to communicate with students over the summer, and that gives her
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unlimited memory to upload material. Teacher D was the only teacher that testified to writing
and publishing curricula – History of Rock – through Gambassa. He expressed,
It was like publishing a book, but it’s online. The curricula is structured in a way that is
interactive. For example, there are 19 units. Students go on one of the units and watch a
video of myself talking about music, an era, or a song. Then they read the text under it,
which is basically like their eBook – like their textbook. At the end of the unit, they have
the fields where they answer questions. So when they’re finished with the unit and
answering the questions, they just click, save, and submit. And then I turn around and
grade it online. Then when it’s graded, the next unit opens up for them. So that’s a
prominent way that I use Gambassa.
Teacher A mentioned that Gambassa allowed his science class to do sophisticated work, while
also enhancing the complexity of their assignments. He added,
If students are looking to incorporate video images into their project, kids could just take
videos from YouTube or ones that they had made themselves and just pop them right into
the project. Gambassa also allowed the students to do a geological timeline and I felt that
the kids really learned more about earth history. So I would ask them to take 50 earth
events and make a vertical chart with layers so that they would go further back in time.
They could use illustrations, video, or images for the project.
Teacher B noticed a significant difference in the platform during her second year. She
explained, “I know that in the second year, Gary added an invitation code that allowed students
to automatically sort themselves by class period, which was super helpful. So instead of having
to sort 120 kids for each class period, by putting in a certain code, they were already sorted,
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which was amazing.” Overall, the teachers expressed positive feedback regarding the merits of
Gambassa.
Research question 2 revealed that students and teachers valued the integrated features of
the Gambassa platform. Both stakeholder groups enhanced their knowledge and skills using
Gambassa for PBL. In terms of alternatives to Gambassa, participants mentioned Blackboard and
Google. However, neither platform is specifically designed for PBL implementation. Participants
did not know of any other PBL platforms that offered the same capabilities as Gambassa. The
next section of this chapter reveals findings for the third research question.
Findings for Research Question 3
How are the promises and expectations of Gambassa manifested in participating schools
without an official contract, and what costs and benefits are associated with this agreement? In
other words, what do teachers and students expect to get and give by using this vendor?
Focus Group and Interview Findings
The third research question was addressed using the same focus groups and face-to-face
interviews as above. To reiterate, the researcher conducted one focus group at the Environmental
Charter High School and two focus groups at Mt. San Jacinto College. The researcher reported
the findings separately for high school students and college students in order to differentiate their
responses. For example, students’ experiences with contracts varied significantly due to age and
exposure. Both student groups also used Gambassa for different subject matter, so their
recommendations varied as well. For these reasons, the researcher felt it necessary to record the
findings separately. Interviews were conducted for all five teachers as well. Key themes and
patterns related to contracting, costs and benefits, and expectations emerged for the focus groups
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and teacher interviews. Included are the detailed responses from both stakeholder groups, while
also noting similarities and differences.
Focus group 1 – high school students.
Purchasing a license. Gambassa currently offers free access to its users. Any person can
sign up for an account without incurring extra fees and without signing a formal contract, as long
as a terms of agreement is signed. The high school students were asked if they had to purchase a
license to use Gambassa, would they would agree or disagree. Student 8 responded, “I think I
wouldn’t mind paying for it. I don’t think I would go on it like all the time or anything, but I
would pay for it if it’s a requirement.” On the contrary, student 2 stated, “If it was a monthly fee,
I don’t think so because it’s not like a thing I use every day. It’s just like required from my
teacher. So it wouldn’t be worth it just paying every month.” Student 3 explained, “It’s like we
didn’t use it the entire year, so I wouldn’t want to be tainted with the fee if I’m not going to use it
for the rest of the year.” Student 5 added, “I think I would pay the one month fee because of
everything it has because I mean the website is easy to use and I could maybe use it for other
things.” Student 8 spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of paying for the service by
stating,
Well, I think there could be an advantage when you pay because wherever you go and
whenever you need it, you could just login and use it. But the disadvantage is that if that
money goes for Gambassa, there would be less money for other things that we need.
Like, maybe new laptops or something that the students need.
Based on the students’ responses, they had mixed feelings about paying for a license.
Technology. Since technology is vital for the use of Gambassa, the students were asked
to share their thoughts on integrating technology (specifically web-based) in the classroom. All
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students were provided individual laptops to use during their math class. They shared some of
the benefits of integrating technology with their learning. Student 5 commented, “Because we
did our projects online, we could save it and look at it later. We would also look at other people’s
profiles. We could also do our project at home, if it was an emergency and we needed to finish
it.” Without technology, the students would not have been able to engage in the latter. Student 4
added, “I think technology should be used in class all day. Like you don’t really realize it, but
technology is the future. We should be using it a lot at school.” Agreeing with this comment,
Student 3 stated, “I think technology makes things easier but we also need to think for
ourselves.” Lastly, Student 9 expressed, “I think too many students are used to not having
technology in elementary school. So like we don’t really mind if we use it more in middle
school. Either way, it’s good.” Students welcomed the notion of incorporating more technology
at their school site. They understood the critical importance of using technology for present and
future purposes.
Recommendations. Students were asked to share how they would make Gambassa better.
Student 5 expressed, “Sometimes, if you add another tab to look for something else, it
[Gambassa] locks you out. So I would want to be able to keep looking without being locked
out.” Student 2 added, “If you don’t use the save button and you accidentally log out, your work
would be erased. So I would put in an automatic save just in case you were running late and you
had to sign out fast, it would be there for you next time.” These examples represented a few of
the suggestions that the students shared.
Focus group 2 and 3 – college students.
Purchasing a license. Like the high school students, the college students were also asked
whether or not they would purchase as license for Gambassa. Similar to the opinions expressed
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in FG1, students had mixed reactions. Student 2 in FG3 stated, “I probably wouldn’t because it is
already hard for me to do. I would try to find something easier, even though the website is a
good thing for students.” Student 3 in FG3 added, “It has the potential, but I don’t think I would
pay for it right now.” On the other hand, Student 4 from FG3 indicated, “I believe if I got better
use, or more use out of it then one class, like if I needed Gambassa for seven classes and I had
trouble keeping up with the classes without Gambassa, I would pay a reasonable fee for
Gambassa to manage my schedule.” Students in FG2 unanimously stated that they would not pay
for a license. Student 1 in FG2 was quoted saying, “I wouldn’t because I’m not majoring in
music. I might change my mind if I was majoring in music. So, no I wouldn’t pay.” Another
student in FG2 asserted, “If there is an alternative that’s free, probably not. That’s just how it
works, no one wants to pay for something that is free somewhere else. I would only think about
it if I had to teach this class.” While personal opinions varied on the topic of purchasing a
license, respondents showed consensus regarding contracts.
Signing a contract. Unlike the high school focus group, the college students were asked
if they would also sign a formal contract to use Gambassa services. The researcher assumed that
since college students are adults, they might have more experience with contracts, versus high
school students. Students in both focus groups expressed their pros and cons about signing a
contract. Student 1 in FG3 stated,
Oh, no. I don’t like signing contracts if I don’t have to. You never know what to expect
from hidden fees or being charged for something that you are unaware of. My brother
signed something for this cable once, and he ended up paying and extra $100.00 per
month for three months. Those were the set up fees that he was never informed about.
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On the other hand, Student 3 in FG3 commented, “I would if it had no repercussions, like if my
email, and my phone number, and my name and all that was not attached to it or anything. It was
just a simple Terms of Agreement, like with Gambassa, I would be fine with it.” Lastly, Student
1 from FG2 indicated,
Once you go signing a contract, liabilities are involved. Then a company can possibly sue
you if you don’t abide by the contract. I have personal experience with that one. I think
contracts benefit companies, but not necessarily the small man. You would need money
to go after someone anyways, that’s if they didn’t follow the contract.
Overall, students were more apprehensive toward signing a contract, versus not having to sign
one. They preferred not to be bound by a formal contract.
Recommendations. Among the college students, the most popular recommendation was
to incorporate Gambassa into their other classes so that they could get more use out of the
platform. However, the students knew that the latter was out of their control. Other
recommendations included an automatic save feature, similar to what a high school student
stated in FG1. Student 2 from FG2 mentioned making it easier to post a project. This sentiment
was actually shared by many students in all three focus groups. Lastly, Student 3 in FG2
requested “a built in tutorial that tells you what to do when you get lost and where the shortcuts
are.” These recommendations were stated to improve platform usability and PBL management.
Teacher interviews.
Purchasing a license. Gambassa currently offers its services without requiring fees or
signing a formal contract. The researcher was interested in finding out if the teachers would
purchase a license to use the platform if given the choice. Teacher B expressed her thoughts by
stating, “I would not purchase a license because I feel like the capabilities I need on Gambassa
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could be available for free on other platforms.” Teacher E added, “Well, um, before I pay, first I
would like to see if there are other websites or something like this [Gambassa]. You know, I
would look for another opportunity, and if there’s none, then I have no choice but to buy it.”
Teacher D’s response to paying fees were, “That’s a tough one, because I mean, for me as an
instructor, I probably would not have initially paid for it. You know, it’s still a work on progress.
Now that I’ve taken advantage of this free opportunity and see the power of it [Gambassa],
maybe I would buy it down the line. If I paid, there would have to be like a 30 day free trial.”
In contrast, Teacher A and Teacher C indicated that they would purchase a license
without hesitation. Teacher A explained, “Yes, I would purchase a license because I don’t have
any other way to do the cool things that if offers so I would love to buy it. If I go back to
teaching, I will use it again because I’m absolutely hooked on it and I hope it doesn’t go away.”
Teacher C added, “Oh, I definitely would. When you’re growing a program such as ours [In True
Fashions], being able to bring people in and to make people aware of what it really looks like is
just amazing.” The overall responses for purchasing a license were varied and intriguing.
Signing a contract. Potential advantages and disadvantages of not being required to sign
a formal contract were also explored. Teacher B’s comments were, “Without a formal contract, I
could just jump in and see how it worked. If there was a contract I would have wanted to pilot
the website first and do a lot more testing to see if it worked.” Echoing a similar reaction,
Teacher E stated, “I would feel uncomfortable in that because I don’t know all the features. And
because of the uncertainty of this platform, I’ll be uncomfortable. I don’t know if this one would
be around for like a long time, or if it’s gonna’ be good or hard for my students.” Teacher D was
reticent about signing a contract. Noting privacy as a potential issue, Teacher D explained,
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When I was teaching drum lessons, I did have some students that were kids. I had a
couple of them create accounts but then I thought about privacy issues with that because I
with Facebook you have to be thirteen years or older. So, I don’t know, if you put in a lot
of red tape, so to speak, with agreements, I think it would be neutral for me. I don’t think
I would see any more advantages or disadvantages. Maybe if a contract restricted me
from doing something like publishing my own work, then I would feel like it’s a
disadvantage.
Teacher C added,
Oh, I think it’s fabulous that you don’t have to sign a contract. I just feel like the culture
of online learning should include more of these open platforms. When someone tells me
about Gambassa, I want to go in there and look at it, start using it, and get comfortable
with it right away. I can’t do that if I have to go through the contract process. I am
overwhelmed enough as it is. The whole contract process is just another step that might
push me away from it.
Lastly, Teacher A’s response to signing a contract was, “The advantage of no contract is
that it simplifies things. I mean, the contract or working those kinds of things out is just one more
hoop to jump through and I didn’t actually feel like it was needed. It just felt like he [Gary] was
really good at following through.” The teachers were candid in sharing their opinions about
contracting. They also unanimously appreciated not being required to sign a formal contract for
Gambassa services.
Accountability. Since Gambassa does not formally contract with firms for use of its
platform, the Gambassa Creator (Gary) is not obligated to meet the needs of its users.
Expectations and promises of the platform are either adhered to or ignored because there is
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nothing binding the Creator to meet expectations. The teachers were asked about their
relationship with Gary and how he addressed their concerns. Teacher D commented by stating,
“He’s a great friend and always willing to troubleshoot. It’s a mix of business and friendship.
Usually I might send him a text and say this isn’t working. Help. He typically answers me right
back. But when he doesn’t, I know he’s super busy with something and he will eventually get
back to me.” Regarding turnaround time for responding, Teacher D explained, “There were a
couple of times where he didn’t get back to me for weeks and I got frustrated. But I know he
does his best to accommodate me. There’s also been times where he’s gone above and beyond.
So in that sense, it’s give and take, you know.”
Teacher C expressed a positive relationship with Gary as well. She indicated, “We have a
good relationship. I’ve contacted Gary for assistance and it was fantastic. Gary works a lot with
me for In True Fashion.” Teacher B’s experience was also positive. She asserted, “He’s [Gary]
great. He is really receptive to comments, suggestions, and I’ve contacted him often. He’s always
gotten right back to me. He’s super about resolving problems.” Teacher E, the newest user of the
platform, explained, “Um, it’s okay. We just talked once, he invited me to chat with him. In the
beginning, I contacted Gary like one or two times, but you know I didn’t get a reply. So, I just go
to [Teacher D, the other music Professor]. He helps me, but he encourages me to get help from
Gary.” Teacher A described his relationship with Gary as “really strong.” He went on to state,
“He [Gary] would come at a moment’s notice, especially in the first three years. He would come
to my class. I would say he came about 15 times. He would come out and watch the students as
they worked. It was kind of a thrill for them to be able to see this entrepreneur. That thought it
was really cool.” Teacher A also mentioned that it is harder to reach Gary now because he is
busier. He indicated his frustration at not being able to access Gary like in the past. Overall, the
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teachers had established a health relationship with Gary and they were pleased by his willingness
to support and assist them in their time of need.
Technology before and after Gambassa. The teachers were asked what technology or
website they used before Gambassa and how they felt about technology in the classroom.
Teacher A stated, “I integrated technology a great deal before Gambassa, but there just wasn’t a
good enough integrated platform. It was kind of all over the place. I created quizzes and a
vocabulary thing on Quia.com and student scores were entered online. Students could do their
quizzes at home, so that was all integrated.” Teacher C appreciated the integrated capabilities as
well. She asserted,
Once I saw what Gambassa does, I was all over it because you know for me to be able to
house everything that happens in the classroom every week in one place online and there
are no limitations is great. So that’s what really brought me in, you know the full service
online. And because our program [In True Fashion] is so diverse it has so many different
elements, I’ve never been able to find a place that all of them could be accommodated
until Gambassa. Before Gambassa it was, you know, lots of documents on the computer
and looking for stuff, we just didn’t have the flow. We didn’t have a place where people
could really see what we do and we wanted to grow. Everything was in my head or on
my computer.
Teacher B was fortunate enough to compare her Car Project before and after Gambassa. She
reported,
One of the projects that I did on Gambassa that we had done the year before, without a
web platform, was a project about buying a car. Students investigated all the costs that go
into buying and owning a car. We used the Internet a lot for research, but we hadn’t
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reported our findings in the same way. We didn’t have a website like Gambassa to share
what we did online. It [Gambassa] enriched the students’ work and gave the students a
pretty cool looking final project.
Regarding technology in the classroom, Teacher B stated, “I think for the most part, technology
supports Project-Based Learning. Any authentic Project-Based Learning needs to involve
technology. Using technology has more of a real world feel to it.” The Gambassa platform
proved to be a useful resource for the teachers. The quality of their work seemed to be enhanced
by the capabilities of Gambassa.
Recommendations. All teachers had recommendations for improving overall use of the
Gambassa platform. Teacher recommendation related to specific features of Gambassa. Teacher
A indicated, “One of the features that I would add to Gambassa is a rubric builder that allows
you to just click and make some choices versus having to do a lot of complex things. If you want
the project to be built by teachers, it needs to be simplified. So, project building and rubric
building. To really perfect it, teachers need to be able to build their own projects.” Teacher B had
similar recommendations. She emphatically stated,
I have two big ones. The first one would be – this may already exist since the last time I
used it – a grading feature where I grade kids’ projects and it automatically puts the
grades I enter on a form in a spreadsheet. That would save oodles of time. The other
feature would be the initial login process and setting up a project process, this could be
more student friendly. So yeah, ease of logging on and setting up projects.
Teacher C felt that the menu needed more clarification, but she noticed that Gary had
already started on those changes. Teacher E suggested finding a way to connect students better.
She stated, “I had to sacrifice my whole class hour to get everyone connected with each other.”
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Lastly, Teacher D shared similar sentiments for improving the platform. He advised the
following,
Well, first of all, when you login to Gambassa, the interface is not so user friendly. It is
busy and there is a lot to it. I tell Gary ‘simplify, simplify.’ It’s [Gambassa] powerful but
sometimes it’s like people are seeing the insides of a computer. They don’t want to see
the inside. They just want to see a nice keypad and go about their business. The other
thing is setting up the projects. There’s a lot of steps for students. The students eventually
get it, mostly because of the music tutorials that I put on there, but I would like to have a
welcome screen with like one button that says, ‘Set Up Project Here.’ So yeah, more user
friendly.
Although the teachers benefited greatly from using Gambassa, they were also aware of some
changes that needed to occur.
The findings from research question 3 revealed that promises and expectations were
achieved without an official contract between the vendor (Gambassa) and the Gambassa users.
Overall, the Gambassa Creator responded to participants’ concerns in a timely manner.
Stakeholder groups also expressed positive feedback about not having to sign an official contract
to access the platform. Participants also preferred online PBL versus traditional PBL methods
that require paper, pencil, and manual filing. The next section of this chapter highlights
expectations and experiences of the Gambassa Creator.
Findings for Research Question 4
What transaction costs are associated with managing Gambassa and what does the vendor
expect to get and give in working with the teachers?
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Gambassa Creator Interview Findings
The researcher interviewed Gary, Gambassa Creator and architect, because his insight
was invaluable to the study. The researcher was particularly interested in the transaction costs
pertaining to the Gambassa Creator, as well as Gambassa’s development over time. Gary was
asked ten questions with themes ranging from historical roots and transaction costs, to
expectations of users and comparisons to other platforms. A detailed overview of Gary’s
responses is provided in the next section.
When asked to describe his inspiration for creating the Gambassa platform, Gary shared
the following:
I have always had a passion for education, and I felt the time had come for me to do my
part to contribute to a better education system in the United States. The concept for
Gambassa.com came to life during an event that I attended in 2008, where students of
The Green Ambassadors program at Environmental Charter High School, were
presenting at a Venice street fair. The topic of their presentation was about past
environmental projects they had successfully participated in and how much they learned
through the experience. I took the opportunity to interview some of the teachers and
students and got a clear understand of the importance of project-based learning. Their
stories about project-based learning (PBL) truly inspired me and got me thinking about
ways I could use my technical and business background to develop a more effective way
to facilitate this type of collaborative learning that would create a paradigm shift in the
modern classroom.
Gary’s inspiration was also drawn from observing a need for more integrated platforms that
support PBL implementation. He was cognizant of the “challenges caused by the lack of a
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robust, easy-to-use, all-in-one platform that makes project-based learning easier to facilitate for
teachers and engaging for students.” As a result, Gary explained the following:
I decided that I was going help advance this style of learning by developing an innovative
platform that contained all of the tools and resources necessary for project based learning
in one place. My goal was to make the platform dynamic, affordable, and easy to
implement, in an effort to make it available to every student who wanted to participate in
this extremely valuable type of hands-on education. My research has shown that students
are extremely engaged when their education is relevant and respectful to what's
happening in today's world. They want to have the opportunity to impact today's issues.
When schools facilitate this type of environment, you see their students choosing to
analyze, create, collaborate, and push themselves to strive harder and be better peers,
classmates, and eventual employees and entrepreneurs. That is the true inspiration behind
Gambassa.com.
As evidenced in Gary’s response above, Gambassa was created to provide multiple pathways for
teachers and students to engage in PBL.
The researcher was also interested in other Cloud Management Systems (CMSs), or
websites, that influenced the creation of Gambassa. According to Gary,
Many of the PBL platforms available at the time of Gambassa's creation were narrowly
focused or relied on either mac or pc. None of them were able to accurately bring all the
tools and resources offered by Gambassa together in one place. The absence of such a
platform created a steep learning curve for teachers, and a multi-channel nightmare for
students who had to use a variety of websites and online resources to complete one
project.
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He also indicated,
Gambassa's goal is to inspire a unique chemistry between the students as peers to one
another, and the teachers as facilitators to these students. At the time, schools did not
have the resources to accomplish this objective. As a result, my team and I were
determined to build an online environment that could empower the teachers to promote
creative, collaborative, and analytical thinking, and engage students through project-
based learning.
Gambassa’s primary mission is to facilitate an instructor and student relationship and to
foster a community of learning and outcomes beyond the walls of the classroom. As a result of
this mission, Gambassa started by “building a system designed to accommodate the simplest
collaborative projects to the most sophisticated projects efficiently.” Compared to other PBL
platforms, Gambassa is designed to be “a flexible, turn-key solution for instructors who wish to
take advantage of new technology to modernize their teaching methods, regardless of their level
of familiarity with PBL.” Gambassa emphasizes serving the instructor and student relationship.
Gary noted an example of this relationship by stating,
Music Professors are using Gambassa for projects ranging from simple concert reports on
to full-blown musical collaborations. They are connecting student musicians, lyricists,
songwriters, and music producers working together to build completed finished works.
Other instructors are using Gambassa for STEAM projects, such as documenting local
species sightings by collecting GPS data and supportive video, images, or audio, to be
included in their write-ups. New projects are being added regularly creating a dynamic
and robust learning environment.
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While Gambassa is capable of highly sophisticated projects, the system is friendly to
newcomers to PBL. Gambassa also grants teachers and students immediate access to the
platform. Gary explained,
By focusing on the instructor, Gambassa allows an instructor to open an account today
and start enjoying the benefits of a seamlessly integrated PBL solution without the
lengthy district contracts and pricing negotiations. The set up takes only a few minutes.
There are 5 main areas to Gambassa: Curricula, Content Management, Organizational
Tools, Social Engagement, and E-Commerce. A new instructor can ease their way into
introducing technology into the classroom by simply using Gambassa for its Content
Management, or the Organizational Tools at first.
Gary also asserted that Gambassa does not pressure the instructor with “deletion dates, or
erase the teacher's environment at the end of the class.” Instead, Gary said that “Gambassa
allows teachers to continually collect, organize, and integrate their content, as well as, save their
students' best work to inspire other students.” Gary indicated that the same is true for students; in
just a few moments they can be up and running. According to Gary, as students build their
accounts, “Gambassa does not delete their classroom projects when the classes are completed.
Students can choose to publish their works into the community.” Gary further contended, “The
concept of student sharing and investing long term into their repertoire of learning resources
produces a higher quality work and builds esteem, especially when students see their that their
published works are being referenced by others.” Overall, Gambassa seeks to enhance PBL
implementation for teachers and students by offering a user friendly and integrated platform.
Gambassa has also evolved over time. Since user feedback plays a primary role in
Gambassa’s transition, Gary indicated that he is “constantly improving on the platform’s design
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and functionality to map the growing needs of teachers and students.” As a result, the platform
was built in iterations while being responsive to the changing needs of the users school
environments. Similarly, Gambassa has been aligned to facilitate Common Core requirements.
Gary stated that Gambassa started with the 5 main areas (Curricula, Content Management,
Organizational Tools, Social Engagement, and E-Commerce) with basic essentials in each. Over
time, Gary has “built new features and blended the functionality of each area more into the
others to meet the demands of the instructors, feedback of the users, and to coincide with new
trends in website norms.” According to Gary, Gambassa has also seen “great entrepreneurial
expansion since incorporation.” An example of this type of expansion is “the addition,
modification and creation of Ebooks and eWorkbooks (the hosting of fully-integrated online
courses in virtual classrooms).”
Additional expansions to Gambassa.com include “Professor authored course resource
packs for online courses being made available for a fee in the Gambassa store.” The user-
experience has also evolved, with the recent initiation of a full menu structure overhaul.
According to Gary, “This produced mixed results. Younger students felt the menus were
organized, whereas, some older students said they added to the complexity.” Consequently,
Gambassa decided to “simplify and move away from strict project management type verbiage to
more, common vocabulary.” Gary emphasized that he would continue this trend of developing
the platform over time.
The researcher was interested in specific factors that accounted for changes to the
Gambassa platform. Gary responded by saying,
There are several factors that motivate change at Gambassa.com. Firstly, Gambassa’s
evolution has always been based on user experience and feedback. We give great
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importance to direct feedback from pilot instructors, students, and school administrators.
Secondly, the change in the education landscape such as STEM, BYOD, and Common
Core play a key role in Gambassa’s evolution. By utilizing an agile development model,
Gambassa has been able to quickly develop, test, and deploy new functionality in the
classrooms to address feature requests from instructors and students. Finally, our team
has a unique strategy and long-term vision for building a platform that enables new
frontiers in creative freedom for students, instructors, and publishers which significantly
influences the changes to Gambassa.com.
Gary also explained some of the benefits and drawbacks of Gambassa. A list of the
benefits cited by Gary were as follows:
1. Instructor and student feedback driven
2. Cost-effective
3. User-friendly
4. Single source for all PBL and collaborative learning requirements
5. Readily available on desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones
6. Common Core aligned
7. STEAM ready
8. A project-based learning platform that puts instructors and students first, while
leveraging technology to a greater extent than other tools
Gary also benefits from the feedback that he collects from various sources. These sources
include “surveys, one-on-one meetings, classroom visits, special group sessions, and focus
groups.” This feedback allows Gambassa to further develop the Gambassa platform to meet the
needs of teachers and students. Potential drawbacks of Gambassa were related to increased user
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capacity. As user capacity grows, Gary expressed that the “technological infrastructure may not
keep up with demand, which could cause issues with functionality and growth.” Although this is
not currently the case, Gary indicated that Gambassa is “actively seeking funding to prepare for
expected future growth.”
When asked if he would encourage other teachers to use Gambassa for PBL
implementation, Gary explained,
Gambassa.com is designed to make a teacher’s life easy and streamline the PBL process.
We work closely with educators to implement changes and add tools based on their
feedback and recommendations to make Gambassa.com a dynamic tool. Gambassa's
curricula and online experience, first and foremost, are designed in such a way as to ease
the technological burden of the district. As part of this we focus on the teachers (by
giving them the tools they need to effectively teach), the students (by facilitating the
engagement they desire), and the administrators (by providing back the metrics they need
to ensure the students are well adjusted, 21st century career and college ready citizens).
Gary further stated,
Gambassa gives teachers more classroom time, and gives students more creative
possibilities in completing their classroom projects and homework. Early feedback has
shown that students can complete their projects faster and more efficiently while giving
the teacher a deeper insight to student performance. Currently many teachers who are
technically savvy and some who are new to technology are enjoying the user-friendly
educational tools that Gambassa.com offers. We strongly recommend that teachers who
have not used Gambassa.com start using the platform to find out first hand why it is
rapidly becoming a preferred tool in the modern classroom throughout the United States.
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Gambassa provides schools with the unique opportunity to immediately engage in PBL. Since a
formal contract is not required, teachers and students are at liberty to start when they are ready,
granted they have the technology to support the platform. According to Gary, these are the
reasons why schools and school districts should embrace the platform:
First, Gambassa allows instructors, schools, and districts to quickly set up a project based
learning environment without dealing with the hassles of strict contracts and complicated
licensing issues. Second, Gambassa is cloud-based, device independent, and BYOD
compliant. Students and teachers can use any device, including PCs and Macs, phones,
tablets, and other devices to access Gambassa.com. As such, school or districts do not
need to invest in a significant hardware infrastructure or manage a software
implementation in order to benefit from our platform. Schools only need to ensure
reliable internet connectivity and secure Internet browsers to get started. Third, high
school teachers who use Gambassa report better student learning outcomes, higher
assignment completion rates, improved classroom morale, greater student involvement in
the community, and significant gains in efficiency delivering the curricula. Finally,
Gambassa is designed to support Common Core aligned curricula and a unified efficient
environment for delivering STEM content through project based learning. By following a
few simple steps, a school district can be up and running with the platform schools needs
to comply with Common Core.
When asked if Gambassa was totally free, Gary stated, “the tools that teachers and
students need to modernize the classroom are free.” Gambassa does offer some curricula for a
fee. Gary confirmed that the platform generates revenue by,
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Collecting a portion of the proceeds from those selling content, curricula, expanded add-
on /optional services, and by providing subscriptions to districts to access common
core/stem progress reporting tools for their schools and classrooms, as well as district
service agreements.
Gary explained that Gambassa may also sell sponsorships for published projects. As with
any growing and evolving user community, Gary emphasized that “Gambassa will require a
constant revenue stream to enhance and keep up with mounting demand and regulatory
requirements.” His team is currently developing a strategy for sustainability at this time.
The researcher also investigated specific transaction costs associated with managing
Gambassa. When asked how much time is spent servicing calls/emails and troubleshooting for
users of the platform, Gary’s response was as follows:
In the very beginning, during our first PBL pilot rollout about five years ago, I would
visit the classroom several times per month for the entire school day to understand the
experiences directly. At that time we needed to discern if users' questions were related to
Gambassa's design, the district's configuration of the browser, firewall settings,
unexpected user behaviors, or other. What we learned from those experiences was
invaluable and directly impacted the experience users enjoy today.
Gary went on to state,
Today, our service calls are from students who are in Gambassa’s online college courses,
who have no direct interactions with their instructors. The calls are usually simple
questions, not only related specifically to the platform but the classes themselves, which
take only a few minutes to answer and are usually at the start of the course. We
[Gambassa team] relay the questions to the instructors. We learn from each user service
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request, identify the root cause and implement correct and preventative measures to
ensure that we do not experience the same issue twice.
The transaction costs stated above are directly related to maintenance and development. At the
time of the interview, Gary had already created a system for answering service calls and
troubleshooting for Gambassa users.
Additional transaction costs included the time spent per day working on the platform.
Gary expressed, “Since the beginning in early 2008, I knew the Gambassa vision was bigger than
what I alone could build, thus, from day one, I hired a team of full-time programmers. I work on
average six days per week, more than eight hours per day. Gambassa is my number one focus.”
As evidenced in Gary’s responses, managing Gambassa is time consuming and equates to a full
time job. However, Gary is content spending quality time on the platform that he created. When
asked about additional sacrifices and opportunity costs of managing Gambassa (i.e. time away
from school, work, or extra curricula activities), Gary asserted,
There is nothing I would rather invest my creative and financial resources in than
Gambassa.com. I am all in on Gambassa, I know it’s the right thing to do, so I don’t
‘count the costs’ as they say. I think we are at a unique and critical time in education,
especially related to deciding the role technology will play in the classroom and how we
will empower our instructors to equip students with the skills needed to compete on a
global stage.
Gary did not seem overwhelmed by the transaction costs associated with managing Gambassa.
Instead, he focused on enhancing the platform so that users could benefit from its features and
services.
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The findings from research question 4 revealed the Gambassa Creator’s sincerity and
passion for equipping teachers and students with a multi-faceted PBL platform. Findings also
revealed that the Creator was more concerned about meeting expectations for the platform, than
setting expectations for its users. Gary welcomed feedback and implemented changes as needed,
while also responding to participants’ concerns in a timely manner. Although transaction costs
were clearly associated with managing the platform, the Gambassa Creator focused his attention
on the instructors and the students. He felt obligated to provide Gambassa users with an effective
and accessible platform that integrated technology, 21
st
Century Skills, and Common Core
standards. The Creator also wanted Gambassa users to experience immediate implementation,
which was feasible without the rules and regulations of a formal contract. Lastly, teachers and
students transitioned easier into PBL because there were no fees for services. The next section
provides an overall summary of the findings from this chapter.
Summary
This study employed a qualitative approach to reflect the lived experiences of students
and teachers using Gambassa for PBL implementation. The researcher also examined the impact
of informal contracting on accessibility, productivity, and reliability for Gambassa users.
Transaction costs associated with using and managing the platform were also explored. Data
collected included experiences and perceptions of teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator.
Primary data sources were interviews and surveys. The researcher disaggregated, coded, and
charted the data in Microsoft Excel to check for recurring themes between the students and the
teachers. The findings yielded valuable insights into teacher and student use of Gambassa for
PBL, as well as expectations from the Gambassa Creator.
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Based on the findings, the researcher was afforded the opportunity to speculate about the
future of informal contracting as it relates to PBL services and Cloud Management Systems in
general. The findings also revealed the critical importance of established relationships between
Gambassa (vendor) and the schools/teachers (firms) using the platform. The next section
considers implications and conclusions based on the findings in Chapter 4.
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CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Twenty-first century technology offers students and educators new tools for aiding the
learning process. Ubiquitous access to technology, along with specific advancements in web
interfacing and coding, have made online learning a popular instructional practice at many high
schools and colleges. Online Project-Based Learning (PBL) is one instructional model where
students use technology to tackle real-world issues in the context of their school, family, or
local/global community. This qualitative study explored PBL through Gambassa, an online
toolkit specifically designed to facilitate PBL for students at all levels. One major purpose of the
study was to examine the relationships forged between Gambassa (vendor) and the schools
(firms) using the platform. The researcher also investigated influences of informal contracting
and transaction costs for all stakeholder groups. Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), which
includes the costs of specifying and/or enforcing contracts, provided the context and theoretical
framework for this study. Finally, the study attempted to add to the literature pertaining to PBL
implementation with Cloud Management Systems (CMSs), such as Gambassa. The next section
of this paper provides a summary of the study, a review of the findings, conclusions based on the
research questions, implications, future research and final thoughts.
Summary of the Study
For successful implementation of web-based PBL, teachers and students need instant
access to tools and platforms that support online learning. However, availability and access to
comprehensive PBL platforms or CMSs can be problematic because they often require some
form of contractual agreement for product use. There is also a gap in research on studies
pertaining to CMSs, PBL implementation, and contracting (formal and informal). Consequently,
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the researcher found it necessary to study the impact of Gambassa, a newer CMS, on PBL
implementation. Equally imperative was the need to further investigate contractual relationships
and transaction costs related to the three stakeholder groups – teachers, students, and the
Gambasssa Creator.
The research questions used to guide the study are as follows:
1. What specific features of the Gambassa platform appear to be of greater value to
some stakeholders than others and how effective is Gambassa for PBL
implementation across different disciplines?
2. What are the relative merits of Gambassa over alternatives as perceived by the
teachers and the students?
3. How are the promises and expectations of Gambassa manifested in participating
schools without an official contract, and what costs and benefits are associated with
this agreement? In other words, what do teachers and students expect to get and give
by using this vendor?
4. What transaction costs are associated with managing Gambassa and what does the
vendor expect to get and give in working with the teachers?
As indicated in Chapter 2, PBL literature asserts that students need collaborative
learning experiences in which they manage their own acquisition of learning to go beyond
consumers of content to become producers and publishers (Bell, 2010). PBL is an instructional
model that organizes learning around projects that emphasize collaboration, investigation,
problem-solving, critical thinking, and real-world application. For this particular study, students
and teachers leveraged the integrated technology provided on Gambassa to complete and manage
their projects online. Teachers and students could easily access Gambassa for PBL because the
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vendor does not require a formal contract for services. However, transactions costs are still
present despite no formal contract. Some example transaction costs include buy vs. make,
coordination costs, production costs, monitoring and evaluation costs, technology costs, and
implementation costs. These costs occur when two or more parties are engaged in a formal or
informal contract.
This study utilized a qualitative approach to elicit the lived experiences of three
stakeholder groups – teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator. The firms in the study
included two high schools and two colleges. The researcher collected data by conducting
surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews. Respondents included five teacher participants,
three focus groups of three or more students (one high school group and two college groups), and
the Gambassa Creator. In total, thirty-four surveys were completed for the study. The interview
protocol was comprised of twenty-four questions (see Appendix I) and grounded in PBL and
TCE literature reviewed in Chapter 2; all questions were open-ended to provide greater range in
participant responses and increased detail of explanations (Creswell, 2003). The next section of
this study provides a brief synopsis of the findings.
Findings
Salient findings from the survey indicated a favorable preference for the majority of
Gambassa components during PBL. The most favorable components for online PBL were
Content Management, Curricula, and Social Engagement, while the least favorable components
were Organizational Tools and E-commerce. It is important to note that E-commerce is a newer
component under development. As such, Ebooks, eWorkbooks, and Online Courses may
increase in favorability and usage over time. Other popular features for online PBL included
Connections, Messaging, Images, and Files.
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Collectively, the high school students expressed positive feedback regarding the
Gambassa platform. The integrated capabilities that Gambassa provides were highly favored by
these students. Students felt that their projects were easier to organize and manage through
Gambassa because the platform saved them time. The college students confirmed Gambassa’s
usefulness as well, but a few students felt that the platform was confusing and complex. Overall,
the college students benefited from using Gambassa for online learning. For the teachers,
Gambassa proved to be a critical asset to PBL implementation. Like the high school students, the
teachers also appreciated the integrated capabilities of Gambassa. The majority of teachers also
felt that there were few, if any, CMSs that supported online PBL. Lastly, the teachers valued the
technical support and quick responses provided by the Gambassa Creator. The next section of
this paper highlights conclusions for each research question, as they pertain to PBL and TCE.
Conclusions
A discussion of the conclusions and their connections to Chapter 2 will be presented in
this next section. Key factors outlined in the research in Chapter 2 will be used to support the
findings. Conclusions are based on the four overarching research questions used to guide this
study.
Discussion for Research Questions 1 and 2
Four common themes emerged from research questions 1 and 2. As a result of this cross
over, a discussion of both research questions will be presented in this section. Research question
1 asks, “What specific features of the Gambassa platform appear to be of greater value to some
stakeholders than others and how effective is Gambassa for PBL implementation across different
disciplines?” and research question 2 asks, “What are the relative merits of Gambassa over
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alternatives as perceived by the teachers and students?” The four themes representing the most
salient findings for research questions 1 and 2 are as follows:
1. Project Management with a CMS
2. Digital Learning
3. Effectiveness of the Gambassa Platform
4. Alternatives to the Gambassa Platform
This next section provides a discussion of each noted theme.
Project management. The most common theme represented in the findings was the
critical importance of managing and completing projects online. According to PBL research,
Cloud Management Systems (CMSs) such as Gambassa leverage the skills, knowledge, and
resources of academic staff and students to manage virtual projects (Jarrahi, 2010). These skills,
resources, and knowledge bases would be harder to leverage without the use of a CMS. Project
management on a CMS is exhibited through creating, editing, publishing, and archiving content
from one central interface (White, 2005). Roebuck (2011) asserts that the purpose of using a
CMS for PBL is to also facilitate collaborative content creation, often through projects, video
media and other assignments that involve data collection. Utilizing these online tools for project
management surfaced multiple times in the survey and interview responses. For example, high
school students used several virtual tools (video, images, calendar, etc.) to manage their Car
Project. Similarly, the college students used organizing tools to manage their Noteflight projects
on Gambassa.
The teachers used Gambassa to manage student projects and assignments, and to deliver
their course content. Virtual tools utilized by the teachers included: video assignments, group
discussions, rubrics, calendar, question and answer, and grading. The projects that teachers
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assigned (i.e. History of Rock, Car Project, and Noteflight) were not projects where students
simply applied what they learned from traditional instruction. Students were prompted to answer
essential questions that resulted in high-quality work, requiring much more than remembering
information or recalling facts. Teachers facilitated the use of 21
st
Century Skills during project
management, which included higher-order thinking skills, collaboration, communication,
conducting research, and presenting the findings (Partnership for 21
st
Century Skills, 2008). The
overall findings for this theme necessitate that PBL is not just a supplementary activity to
support learning. Because PBL served as the basis of the curriculum for the students, the
outcomes revealed greater understanding of a topic, deeper learning, higher-level thinking, and
an increased motivation to learn (Bell, 2010).
Digital learning. ChanLin (2008) contends that if we are truly serious about reaching 21
st

century educational goals, PBL must be at the center of 21
st
century instruction. That being said,
21
st
century instruction includes another dimension of learning that influences what and how
students learn – digital pedagogy. Digital pedagogy covers a wide spectrum of online learning
opportunities, PBL being one of them. Stommel (2013) asserts that expertise in digital pedagogy
stems from a life-long devotion to researching, practicing, presenting, facilitating, and teaching
activities that are embedded in technology and collaboration. Additionally, computer technology
enables students to experiment with different virtual tools for all aspects of PBL (Rheingold,
2007). Teachers and students in this study had ample opportunity to explore and use various
features of Gambassa for PBL. More specifically, Gambassa allowed its users to engage in PBL
in very advanced ways. For example, as students enhanced their academic skills through content-
related projects, they also increased their self-efficacy with the technological skills required to
navigate the platform. Application of varied media tools can help students apply and transfer
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technological skills into PBL. Lastly, as students and teachers participate in online PBL, they
become more adept at using digital media for social networking, music-photo-video sharing, and
conducting online research.
Effectiveness of the Gambassa platform. Participants in the study overwhelmingly
attributed Gambassa’s effectiveness to its integrated capabilities and extensive toolkit. Most
importantly, students were given the opportunity to simultaneously build on 21
st
Century Skills
and technological skills. For example, students engaged in authentic tasks that required critical
thinking, collaborating, and problem-solving – all essential features of 21
st
Century Skills.
Students also used virtual tools to access, manage, and present their projects. According to
ChanLin (2008), hypermedia tools can sustain student motivation, cognitive engagement, and
production of new knowledge derived from investigation and exploration. The teachers in the
study set out to accomplish the latter. They desired increased participation, engagement, and
motivation from all of their students. Bell (2010) asserts that authentic use of technology is
highly engaging to students because it taps into their fluency with computers.
Survey responses also indicated the overall effectiveness of the Gambassa platform. The
majority of students and all of the teachers said yes when asked if Gambassa was an effective
website for PBL implementation. Justifications for their favorable opinions were as follows:
accessibility, efficiency, speed, helpfulness, social networking/community building capabilities,
and organizational capabilities. Only three out of thirty-four survey participants stated that
Gambassa was not an effective website. They claimed that the platform was too confusing and
complex. Survey ratings for each of the five Gambassa components also favor Gambassa as an
effective website for PBL implementation, especially when considering the Social Engagement,
Content Management, and Curricula components. These components had the highest ratings,
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with more than 50% of the participants indicating adequate or extensive usage. The overall
survey and interview responses validate Gambassa as an effective website for PBL.
Alternatives to the Gambassa platform. Students and teachers were asked if they used
other Cloud Management Systems (CMSs) for PBL. None of the participants had experience
with alternative PBL platforms. Web-based alternatives that the participants mentioned were
Blackboard and Google, but participants did not use these platforms for PBL. As stated earlier,
neither Blackboard nor Google is specifically designed for PBL implementation. For comparison
purposes, the researcher referenced two platforms/CMSs that are used for PBL implementation.
Those platforms are EdModo and Echo. Both platforms offer similar capabilities to Gambassa,
providing teachers and students with a secure place to connect, collaboration, and share content
(Dobler, 2012). The biggest differences between the two are that one is free (EdModo) and the
other (Echo) requires a formal contract. Although EdModo is a free CMS that supports online
learning, none of the teachers in the study expressed any interest in using the platform. It is
important to note that EdModo is not specifically designed to support PBL, but it has the
capability. In contrast, the Echo platform is designed for PBL implementation, but schools have
to pay for the services.
Findings from research questions 1 and 2 suggest that Gambassa has relatively little
competition as far as PBL platforms are concerned. Because teachers had no previous
experiences with PBL platforms, they welcomed the opportunity to use Gambassa for PBL.
Gambassa is highly attractive to teachers and students because it does not require a contract or
additional fees to use the services, and it offers integrated capabilities that far outweigh other
platforms. These capabilities may contribute to Gambassa’s effectiveness in supporting PBL.
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Lastly, online PBL may be a viable model for integrating technology with 21
st
Century Skills and
lifelong habits of learning.
Discussion for Research Question 3
Research question 3 asks, “How are the promises and expectations of Gambassa
manifested in participating schools without an official contract, and what costs and benefits are
associated with this agreement? In other words, what do teachers and students expect to get and
give by using this vendor?” This question targeted teachers and students using the Gambassa
platform. Two key themes that emerged from research question 3 are as follows:
1. Transaction Cost Economics
2. Expectations for the Vendor
The next section provides a discussion of each noted theme.
Transaction Cost Economics. Broadly defined, TCE involves the transaction costs
incurred when making an economic exchange (Malone, Yates, & Benjamin, 1987). The
economic exchange pertaining to this study was the service that Gambassa provided to certain
firms (schools), in this case teachers and students. This study examined transaction cost
economics (TCE) theory to determine transaction costs of firms utilizing Gambassa for PBL
implementation, which includes coordination costs, impact of informal contracting, buy vs. make
decisions, and externalities. More importantly, the complexities of informal contracting and its
relationship to PBL services were considered. Correlations between TCE components and the
findings in this study are highlighted below:
1. Coordination Costs. According to TCE theory, not all costs derived from an exchange
are monetary. Transaction costs, also known as coordination costs, are defined as
those costs incurred from all the information processing necessary to coordinate the
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work of people and/or machines that perform the primary processes (Malone, Yates,
& Benjamin, 1987). Although Gambassa does not formally contract with teachers and
firms using the product, there are still transaction costs associated with the exchange.
Based on the findings in this study, transaction costs for teachers and students
included time, accessibility, and efficiency (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008). Since
there are no formal trainings offered by Gambassa to assist with initial set up, a
learning curve is inevitable. Although increased experience and exposure is known to
enhance learning, some teachers and students expressed frustration with certain
features of the platform. Specific examples included creating a project and building a
rubric. In terms of accessibility, the Gambassa Creator only provided the platform.
The firms (schools) were responsible for providing Internet access and the devices
necessary to foster online PBL. Without these tools, online PBL would not have been
possible. In contrast, if all the hardware and network connections are operating,
efficiency of the platform is still critical for successful PBL implementation. In other
words, does Gambassa set out to do what it claims as far as providing an online
toolkit for PBL implementation? If Gambassa becomes inoperable, such as freezing
or shutting down, this is a transaction cost that would be incurred by the teachers and
students. However, the findings in this study reported a high functioning platform that
was accessible and efficient.
2. Informal Contracting. While the Internet offers many free websites for curriculum
development, those that pertain to PBL often require some form of contractual
agreement for product use. Although Gambassa does not charge to set up an account,
users must still sign an electronic terms of agreement (see Appendix B). The terms of
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agreement are an informal way of binding users to the contract. Terms of agreement
are affiliated with TCE because they facilitate an exchange between two or more
parties. Since Gambassa uses informal contracting, the TCE’s are at maximum
benefit, thus limiting disputes over the contract (Williamson, 2008). The teachers and
students in the study unanimously signed the terms of agreement to access the
platform. Because of informal contracting, they could terminate use at any moment.
Overall, teachers and students benefited from informal contracting. They could access
the platform without obligation and still meet their needs concerning PBL.
3. Buy vs. Make Decisions. The buy vs. make concept relates to either creating a product
or purchasing a product (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008). TCE lends itself to this
model because buying involves an economic exchange. Economically, online PBL
leaves teachers and schools with one of two options: (1) make or create a Cloud
Management System that fosters PBL implementation, or (2) buy a CMS that
provides the service. The first option relates to product development, where teachers
and/or schools exert their own time, effort, and energy into making an in-house CMS
product, also referred to as vertical integration (Gonzalez-Diaz & Vazquez, 2008).
Vertical integration is defined as products that are manufactured “in-house,” as
opposed to being outsourced (Lamoreaux, Raff, & Temin, 2002). Creating a CMS
would have required computer-programming expertise, time to develop the product,
and skill. As a result, it was unlikely that the teachers and schools in this study would
exercise that option. According to Gonzalez-Diaz and Vazquez (2008), the decision
to invest in a local or external service mirrors vertical integration and outsourcing.
Consequently, it could be argued that teachers in this study chose the buy/outsourcing
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option. However, because teachers and students signed an informal contract (terms of
agreement) with Gambassa, they did not have to “buy” the PBL services. Since both
stakeholder groups utilized a CMS (Gambassa) that was developed outside of their
school, they engaged in a form of outsourcing. The buy vs. make decisions expressed
in this study further contextualize TCE and its application to informal contracting.
4. Externalities. Unintended outcomes of TCE include externalities (Williamson, 2008).
Since externalities are not predictable, there is no way to govern or prepare for them.
Externalities also happen as a result of the transaction, in this case the exchange
between the vendor (Gambassa) and the users (teachers and students). Two specific
examples of externalities was noted by Teacher B and Teacher D. Teacher B
described a scenario where a group of boys who rarely speak finally started
communicating when they used the Gambassa platform to complete their project. The
teacher did not anticipate this particular group of boys actively communicating on a
PBL project. Teacher D shared his experience with writing and publishing curricula
through Gambassa. He essentially published a book online, an unintended factor that
happened outside of the terms of agreement. Student 3 in focus group 2 gave another
example of an externality. This student wished to explore more features of Gambassa
during class, but the allotted time for class prevented this from occurring. This
student did not anticipate limited exposure to the varied features provided on the
Gambassa platform. None of these participants could have officially prepared for
these externalities.
Overall, the transaction costs for teachers and students were low because the contract for
usage was informal. Teachers and students could have opted out of the informal contract, or
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terms of agreement, at any time. Similarly, these stakeholder groups benefited from the absence
of a third party (courts and arbitrators) governing their non-binding contract.
Expectations for the vendor. Other non-monetary factors included in a transaction are
expectations of the consumers or persons using the product. For this study, the teachers and
students expected Gambassa to provide quality service and to accommodate their needs
regarding PBL. In exchange for their time spent using the platform, the teachers expected timely
feedback regarding any problems or suggestions for improving Gambassa. Based on the findings,
teachers reported positive and timely feedback from the Gambassa Creator. Overall comments
included the Gambassa Creator’s receptivity to suggestions, showing up a moment’s notice, and
willingness to troubleshoot when needed. However, the teachers expressed concern and
frustration when the Gambassa Creator did not address their needs in a timely manner.
According to TCE theory, relationships are key to successful exchanges between two or more
parties (Williamson, 2012). Maintaining open communication with the Gambassa Creator was
critical for the teachers, especially considering their continued use of the platform. The
stakeholders also expected the platform to be accessible while engaging in PBL. Without this
accessibility, Gambassa loses its credibility. Similarly, the platform must function at all times.
These factors contributed to a mutual understanding of expectations and product use.
Discussion for Research Question 4
Research question 4 asks, “What transaction costs are associated with managing
Gambassa and what does the vendor expect to get and give in working with the teachers”? This
question was geared toward the Gambassa Creator. Two key themes that emerged from research
question 4 are as follows:
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1. Transaction Cost Economics
2. Expectations for the Firms
Transaction Cost Economics. Transaction costs for the Gambassa Creator/vendor were
considered for this study as well. Specific transaction costs examined were bargaining costs,
time, advertising, maintenance, and externalities. These transaction costs pertain to specifying
and enforcing contracts, whether formal or informal (Macher & Richman, 2008). The TCE
findings are highlighted below:
1. Bargaining Costs. According to Macher and Richman (2008), a major cost involved
with making an economic trade is bargaining costs. Bargaining costs, also one
component of transaction costs, are costs incurred from drawing up an appropriate
contract. Although Gambassa does not formally contract with its users, the vendor
requires all users to sign a terms of agreement (see Appendix B). The terms of
agreement are intended to establish protocols for the user and protect the copyrights
of the platform. To produce a quality contract, the Gambassa Creator invested time
and resources into researching a terms of agreement that was most suitable for what
he was trying to accomplish. The vendor incurred production costs as well.
Production costs include the physical or other primary costs necessary to create and
distribute the goods or services being produced (Malone, Yates, & Benjamin, 1987).
A platform such as Gambassa requires monetary funds to operate and develop the
platform.
2. Advertising. Advertising costs include the costs of promoting the platform to
stakeholder groups. Without established networks and product placement, Gambassa
might remain unknown to users. Consequently, the Gambassa Creator invests lots of
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time and energy into marketing the Gambassa platform to schools and teachers
working with PBL. It is incumbent upon the Gambassa Creator to coordinate with
schools and teachers to use the platform. Advertising time is often spent driving from
school to school, meeting with various teachers, and self-promoting the platform.
These efforts have resulted in more users for the platform. As marketing continues,
more users and firms are becoming aware of the platform and utilizing it for PBL
implementation.
3. Development and Maintenance. Development and maintenance costs relate to
operational efficiency of Gambassa. Development costs include the initial costs to
create the platform. They also include new features and components added overtime.
For example, the E-Commerce component was under development throughout the
study. Maintenance costs for Gambassa include servicing calls, answering emails, and
troubleshooting for users of the platform. Another maintenance cost includes
responding to suggestions for improvement. It is within the Gambassa Creator’s
discretion to implement these changes in a timely manner.
4. Externalities. As stated earlier, externalities included unintended outcomes of a
transaction (Williamson, 2008). Externalities can be positive or negative. One
externality was the overwhelming number of teachers and students who felt that
Gambassa was an effective platform for PBL. The Gambassa Creator did not
anticipate or plan for these outcomes. Another externality related to technology is
when teachers and/or students do not have devices to access the platform. For
example, teachers may have access to district laptops, while students may not have
access to same devices. Additionally, school sites could lose Internet service,
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preventing teachers and students from accessing Gambassa. Moreover, Gambassa
could encounter technical difficulties, thus interfering with PBL implementation. It is
impossible to anticipate these externalities because they are unpredictable.
Gambassa’s overall transaction costs are low due to informal contracting. Because of
informal contracting, the transaction costs are not recognized as monetary costs. However,
production costs for maintaining and developing Gambassa include monetary costs. As a result,
the vendor incurs both transaction costs and production costs.
Expectations for the firms. Considering the amount of time, effort, and energy invested
in this platform, the vendor expects stakeholder groups to use the platform for PBL. Once
Gambassa users sign a terms of agreement, the vendor expects them to implement computer-
mediated technology through Gambassa. The vendor also expects users to provide feedback and
suggestions for enhancing product use for PBL. Lastly, relationships are vital to successful
exchanges between Gambassa and its users (Williamson, 2012). The relationships forged
between Gambassa and its users have a better chance of thriving under sustained rapport. Based
on the findings, the vendor established good rapport with the stakeholder groups.
Implications
This study was designed to explore informal contracting and online PBL implementation
through Gambassa. Findings from the participants’ responses were insightful and provocative,
and can be used to inform both instructional practice and contractual policies. The researcher’s
suggestions are as follows:
1. It is imperative that schools and colleges provide training opportunities for teachers
and administrators to enhance their expertise in online learning, specifically with
PBL. Stakeholders must also know how to access virtual mediums and tools for PBL
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implementation. Since integrated technology is the new paradigm in education,
trainings would equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to incorporate web-
based technology into their practice. Once stakeholder groups are equipped, they can
take ownership of PBL and connect the concepts to standards-based subject matter
and 21
st
Century Skills. Workshops and trainings could be conducted by PBL experts
already in the field, which may include teachers. These trainings could be offered via
webinars, YouTube videos, and/or face-to-face meetings. Trainings would serve the
purpose of enhancing usage and practicality with online tools/platforms, as well as
troubleshooting to reduce anxiety or frustration. Heightening awareness about online
learning may also increase application and transfer of knowledge toward PBL
implementation. Finally, investing more time and resources in PBL training will
develop teacher and student capacity to skillfully organize, implement, and organize
PBL.
2. Platform accommodations need to be streamlined in order to make PBL websites
more user friendly. While research indicates that PBL is beneficial and a best practice
for educators, it is not practical for teachers (and students) to struggle through the
process. Guidelines for troubleshooting difficulties related to starting, organizing, or
managing a PBL project should be in place. On-line PBL vendors could either
employ people (or one person) to troubleshoot problems or upload self-help videos
onto the platform. Other feasible options include technology guides, visual/picture
guides, answers to frequently asked questions, and project checklists. A
comprehensive platform is critical for increased use and implementation.
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3. Web-based PBL is often discussed within the context of high school and college.
However, younger students need to be given more opportunities to engage in on-line
PBL. There should not be age restrictions for PBL. To account for the complexity of
some online tools, teachers could model first and then assign group or individual
projects. For primary grades, teachers could conduct whole-group projects. If students
are introduced to PBL at an earlier age, they will have a more advanced repertoire of
strategies when they reach high school or college. Since on-line PBL can be accessed
on any mobile device and at home, parents of smaller children could assist with the
process. Student in grades K-8 can benefit from using social medial tools for school
projects. They too need experiences with collaborating, networking, questioning,
investigating problems, solving problems, and publishing or presenting the results. It
is critical for all students to utilize technology in the classroom to better prepare for
21
st
century learning.
4. Many schools and colleges engage in formal contracts for on-line educational
services. Ubiquitous vendors stated in this study are Blackboard and Echo. However,
institutions could also benefit from vendors that promote informal contracting,
especially as it relates to PBL implementation. Not all PBL platforms require formal
contracts. That being said, schools could invest more time into researching and
utilizing free platforms that are specifically designed for PBL. With free platforms,
schools would not have to employ or pay a vendor to manage the system. Before
spending thousands and even millions of dollars on contracts, schools could designate
a team or group to search for alterative platforms that offer the same, if not similar,
services.
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5. Access to technology is necessary to utilize technology. Teachers and students cannot
engage in online PBL without devices such as computers, laptops, or iPads. Hand-
held devices like cell phones are just as efficient, but not all students have access to a
cell phone. As a result, it is critical for schools to invest in technology that supports
online learning. Additionally, schools need Internet access to implement web-based
PBL. Schools could obtain funding and resources from technology grants, donated
computers and other devices, fundraisers, and monetary donations.
Future Research
Project-Based Learning shows promise as an innovative, multidisciplinary approach to
teaching and learning. Contingent upon further research, online PBL may be considered as a
viable instructional practice for K-12 schools and higher education. More inquiry and
investigation regarding effective PBL implementation, including accessibility of platforms that
are specifically designed for PBL, is also necessary. A study could address the critical question,
“What opportunities exist for measuring whether or not there is a correlation between online
PBL implementation and changes in student achievement or motivation?” Quantitative data for
this study could measure student achievement (by standardized test scores and course grades)
and motivation (by increased participation and/or effort shown on assignments).
Effective PBL implementation and management also requires substantial planning,
efficacy, technological skill, training, and time to learn about the different components of a
platform. Research on best practices related to online PBL may equip teachers and schools with
the knowledge and skills needed for successful implementation and management. To gauge the
validity of online PBL, stakeholder groups could benefit from research that documents the
experiences of other teachers and students engaged in the process. Finally, more investigative
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studies on free CMSs designed to support PBL implementation, such as Gambassa, need to be
conducted. These studies would shed light on perceptions, accessibility, reliability, and
productivity of online PBL platforms.
For a comparative analysis, a study could examine contracting disparities within schools
that use online platforms for PBL and the benefits/drawbacks of these contracts – both informal
and formal. A survey could be administered to stakeholder groups (multiple vendors and firms)
that use online platforms for PBL implementation. The survey could address self-efficacy with
the platform, components/features, contracting, transaction costs, accessibility, reliability, and
productivity, to name a few. Schools or firms currently engaged in a formal contract for online
PBL services could be asked, “What factors influence a firm’s decision to formally contract with
a vendor for online PBL services?” and “How are the merits of the platform perceived by various
stakeholder groups?” Overall, more research that highlights contractual matters related to CMS
use and online PBL should to be conducted.
Final Thoughts
One of the biggest differences between Project-Based Learning and more traditional
approaches to teaching and learning is what it asks of schools and teachers. With online PBL,
schools may evolve from being information repositories to places where students can acquire
real-world knowledge, solve authentic real-world challenges, and develop 21
st
Century Skills
that they can utilize for the rest of their lives. Through technology, students have access to rich
media creation tools, the Internet, and access to information, content, and communication at any
time on any mobile device. A variety of resources available to students include: calendars, files,
document storage, video, audio, messaging, and a myriad of other services and products.
Students may also be compelled to problem-solve and find solutions at home, at schools, or in
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the larger community. Similarly, teachers become more than information experts; they become
collaborators and facilitators of learning. They become more adept at leveraging the power of
students, seeking new knowledge alongside students, and modeling positive habits of mind and
new ways of thinking and learning.
In general, students benefit from advanced curricula and instructional strategies that
challenge them. Online PBL may foster these advancements and challenges by mirroring the 21
st

century classroom and workplace. Furthermore, research has found that even students who tend
to disengage from school are excited and interested in PBL because it connects schoolwork with
real life, and because it is structured differently than what many students are used to. For this
reason, the researcher supports online PBL implementation for the purpose of enhancing
instructional practice and student achievement. Accomplishing this goal necessitates giving
students opportunities to use technology for authentic tasks that require communicating,
collaborating, solving real-world problems, critical thinking, and presenting results. Similarly,
teachers and students need immediate access to online PBL, which necessitates free platforms
that require minimal or informal contracting. Results from this study showed that stakeholder
groups preferred signing an informal terms of agreement, as opposed to signing an official
contract for services. Considering these factors, informal contracting and immediate access to
virtual platforms such as Gambassa may enhance PBL implementation and optimize technology
use in the classroom.
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APPENDIX A
NEW TECH RUBRICS AND COMMITMENT CRITERIA

New Tech School Success Rubric – Fidelity of Implementation

Version 10/2010 © New Technology Network, LLC; New Tech Network Rubrics (2013)
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New Tech School Success Rubric – Ensuring Sustainability

Version 10/2010 © New Technology Network, LLC; New Tech Network Rubrics (2013)
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New Tech School Success Rubric – Student Achievement

Version 10/2010 © New Technology Network, LLC; New Tech Network Rubrics (2013)
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New Tech Staffing and Facilities Specifications

New Tech Network Rubrics (2013)
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© New Technology Network, LLC 2010, 2012; New Tech Network Rubrics (2013)
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APPENDIX B
GAMBASSA TERMS OF SERVICE

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APPENDIX C
SUPERINTENDENT, DEAN, OR DESIGNEE PERMISSION TO CONDUCT STUDY
To: Superintendent, Dean, or Designee
From: Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren, Doctoral Student
Date: XXXXXX
Subject: Superintendent or Designee Permission to Conduct Study

Dear ___________________________:

I have received permission to conduct research from the district’s research unit, and I would also
like your permission to conduct a research study at one of the schools in your district. I am a
doctoral student in the Educational Administration program at the University of Southern
California. I am working under the supervision of my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Guilbert
Hentschke. The research is in partial fulfillment of my dissertation.

The study will explore technology use during Project-Based Learning (PBL), specifically with
the Gambassa website. Major topics include specific components of Gambassa that bolster PBL
implementation and it usefulness in K-12 schools and higher education. I will also gather data on
specific costs and benefits related to informal contracting that effect teachers, students, and the
Gambassa Creator.

This research topic is opportune in light of increasing efforts by districts and schools to promote
authentic models of learning aligned to 21
st
Century Skills and the new Common Core State
Standards. Systematic implementation of PBL is also becoming a nationwide phenomenon. This
study attempts to add to the literature pertaining to technology-support PBL with a Cloud-based
Management System (CMS), such as Gambassa. The results of this study may be used to further
refine implementation of PBL and how it is used to enhance teaching and learning.

If you allow me to conduct research, I will facilitate student focus groups with up to five students
at the school site who are using Gambassa to implement PBL. Focus groups will take
approximately 30 minutes and occur after school hours. Teachers will participate in a 30 minute
(or less) interview after school hours, which may be audio-recorded. Both students and teachers
will complete a survey that will take approximately 10 minutes. Students who participate in the
focus group will receive a $10.00 gift card. In addition to your consent, I will seek permission
from each school principal.

This research is important to me, and I appreciate your consideration of this request to conduct
research in your district. If you have any questions about the study, I can be contacted through
email or by phone. You may also contact my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Guilbert Hentschke, at
XXXXXXX or XXXXXXX. Your signature indicates that you have read and understood the
information provided above and that you have received a copy of this form.
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Sincerely,

Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren
Doctoral Candidate – University of Southern California

I hereby consent to my school district’s participation in the research described above.

School District _________________________________________________________________

Superintendent or Designee Signature _______________________________________________

Please Print Superintendent or Designee’s Name ______________________________________
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APPENDIX D

PRINCIPAL OR DESIGNEE PERMISSION TO CONDUCT STUDY
To: Principal or Designee
From: Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren, Doctoral Student
Date: XXXXXX
Subject: Principal or Designee Permission to Conduct Study

Dear ___________________________:

I have received permission to conduct research from the district’s research unit, and I would also
like your permission to conduct a research study at your school. I am a doctoral student in the
Educational Administration program at the University of Southern California. I am working
under the supervision of my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Guilbert Hentschke. The research is in
partial fulfillment of my dissertation.

The study will explore technology use during Project-Based Learning (PBL), specifically with
the Gambassa website. Major topics include specific components of Gambassa that bolster PBL
implementation and it usefulness in K-12 schools and higher education. I will also gather data on
specific costs and benefits related to informal contracting that effect teachers, students, and the
Gambassa Creator.

This research topic is opportune in light of increasing efforts by districts and schools to promote
authentic models of learning aligned to 21
st
Century Skills and the new Common Core State
Standards. Systematic implementation of PBL is also becoming a nationwide phenomenon. This
study attempts to add to the literature pertaining to technology-supported PBL with a Cloud-
based Management System (CMS), such as Gambassa. The results of this study may be used to
further refine implementation of PBL and how it is used to enhance teaching and learning.

If you allow me to conduct research, I will facilitate student focus groups with up to five students
at the school site who are using Gambassa to implement PBL. Focus groups will take
approximately 30 minutes and occur after school hours. Teachers will participate in a 30 minute
(or less) interview after school hours, which may be audio-recorded. Both students and teachers
will complete a survey that will take approximately 10 minutes. Students in the focus group will
receive a gift card.

This research is important to me, and I appreciate your consideration of this request to conduct
research in your district. If you have any questions about the study, I can be contacted through
email or by phone. You may also contact my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Guilbert Hentschke, at
XXXXXXX or XXXXXXX.

Your signature indicates that you have read and understood the information provided above, that
you willingly agree to allow me to invite teachers and students at your school to participate in the
study, and that you have received a copy of this form.
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Sincerely,

Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren
Doctoral Candidate – University of Southern California

I hereby consent to my school district’s participation in the research described above.

School District _________________________________________________________________

Principal or Designee Signature ____________________________________________________

Please Print Principal or Designee’s Name ___________________________________________
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APPENDIX E

RECRUITMENT LETTER
To: Project-Based Learning Educator
From: Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren, Doctoral Student
Date: XXXXXX
Subject: Interviewee on PBL Implementation – Doctoral Dissertation Research

Dear PBL Educator, Student, or Gambassa Creator,

I am a doctoral student in the Educational Administration program at the University of Southern
California. I am working under the supervision of my dissertation chairperson, Dr. Guilbert
Hentschke. The purpose of this letter is to invite you to participate in a research study on PBL
implementation with Gambassa. I am conducting this research in partial fulfillment of my
dissertation.

The study will explore technology use during Project-Based Learning (PBL), specifically with
the Gambassa website. Major topics include specific components of Gambassa that bolster PBL
implementation and it usefulness in K-12 schools and higher education. I will also gather data on
specific costs and benefits related to informal contracting that effect teachers, students, and the
Gambassa Creator.

This research topic is opportune in light of increasing efforts by districts and schools to promote
authentic models of learning aligned to 21
st
Century Skills and the new Common Core State
Standards. Systematic implementation of PBL is also becoming a nationwide phenomenon. This
study attempts to add to the literature pertaining to technology-supported PBL with a Cloud-
based Management System (CMS), such as Gambassa. The results of this study may be used to
further refine implementation of PBL and how it is used to enhance teaching and learning.

If you agree to participate in this study, I will facilitate student focus groups with up to five
students from a classroom that is using Gambassa to implement PBL. Focus groups will take
approximately 30 minutes and occur after school hours. Teachers and the Gambassa Creator will
participate in a 30 minute (or less) interview after school hours, which may be audio-recorded.
Teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator will complete a survey that will take
approximately 10 minutes. As a small token of my appreciation, I will provide $10 dollar gift
cards (Subway or Starbucks) for students who participate in the focus group. Teachers will also
receive a gift card.

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Your identity as a participant will remain
confidential at all times during and after the study. If you have any questions about the study, I
can be contacted through email or by phone. You may also contact my dissertation chairperson,
Dr. Guilbert Hentschke, at XXXXXXX or XXXXXXX. Your signature indicates that you have
read and understood the information provided above and you have received a copy.
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Sincerely,

Acacia Mercell Osborne Warren
Doctoral Candidate – University of Southern California

Yes, I would like to participate in this study.

Participant Name: _______________________________________________________________

School Name and Class Period: ____________________________________________________
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APPENDIX F

INFORMATION SHEET FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education

INFORMATION SHEET FOR NON-MEDICAL RESEARCH

A STUDY OF PROJECT BASED LEARNING WITH GAMBASSA: CROSSROADS OF
INFORMAL CONTRACTING AND CLOUD MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Acacia Warren under the
supervision of Guilbert Hentschke, Ph.D., at the University of Southern California, because you
are a teacher, Professor, high-school student, or college student who uses Gambassa for Project-
Based Learning (PBL) implementation. Your participation is voluntary. You should read the
information below, and ask questions about anything you do not understand, before deciding
whether to participate. Please take as much time as you need to read the consent form. You may
also decide to discuss participation with your family or friends. You can keep this form for your
records.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The overall purpose of this study is to explore technology use during PBL, specifically with the
Gambassa website. Major topics include specific components of Gambassa that bolster PBL
implementation and it usefulness in K-12 schools and higher education. The influence of
informal contracting on students and teachers using the platform will also be examined.

STUDY PROCEDURES
If you volunteer to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete a 5-10 minute survey
and/or participate in a 30 minutes (or less) audiotaped focus group interview. The focus group
will consist of six or fewer students. If you do not want to be audiotaped, you cannot participate.
The interview will be conducted after instructional hours.

POTENTIAL RISKS AND DISCOMFORTS
There are no anticipated risks; you may feel uncomfortable discussing you PBL reflections.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO PARTICIPANTS AND/OR TO SOCIETY
You may not directly benefit from your participation; researchers hope the results of this study
may be used to further refine implementation of PBL, hence increasing its effectiveness and
improving educational outcomes for all students.

PAYMENT/COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION
Participants in the focus group will receive a $10 gift card from Starbucks or Subway at the end
of the session. Focus group participants do not have to answer all of the questions to obtain the
gift card. All teachers and/or Professors will receive a gift card at the end of the session.
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CONFIDENTIALITY
Identifiable information will not be linked to your responses. The members of the research team
and the University of Southern California’s Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) may
access the data. The HSPP reviews and monitors research studies to protect the rights and
welfare of research subjects. Your teachers or parents will not have access to your responses.

Because of the focus group, your confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

The data will be stored on a secure computer and will be maintained indefinitely.

A copy of the summary of findings will be available upon request at the end of the study.

PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL
Your participation is voluntary. Your refusal to participate will involve no penalty or loss of
benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. You may withdraw your consent at any time and
discontinue participation without penalty. You are not waiving any legal claims, rights or
remedies because of your participation in this research study.

ALTERNATIVES TO PARTICIPATION
Your alternative is to not participate; your employment will not be affected, whether or not you
participate in this study.

INVESTIGATOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have any questions or concerns about the research, please feel free to contact the Principal
Investigator, Acacia Warren at XXXXXXX or the Faculty Advisor, Dr. Guildbert Hentschke at
XXXXXXX.

RIGHTS OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANT – IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about your rights as a research participant or the
research in general and are unable to contact the research team, or if you want to talk to someone
independent of the research team, please contact the University Park Institutional Review Board
(UPIRB), 3720 South Flower Street #301, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0702, (213) 821-5272 or
upirb@usc.edu
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APPENDIX G
TEACHER AND STUDENT SURVEY
Directions: On a scale of 1 to 4, indicate the rate at which you use the following Gambassa
features during Project-Based Learning. Please put a number on each line. The scale is provided
below.

Scale: 1 = Not At All 2 = A Little 3 = Adequately 4 = To a Great Extent

Gambassa Concepts

▼ Rate your overall use of the 5 sections of the platform:
____ Social Engagement
____ Organizational Tools
____ Content Management
____ Curricula
____ E-Commerce

▼ Rate your overall use of the provided examples within each section:

▼ Social Engagement
____ Newsfeed
____ Profiles
____ Portfolio
____ Discussions
____ Connections

▼ Organizational Tools
____ Messaging
____ Groups
____ Calendar
____ Events
____ Attendance
____ Contacts
____ Scheduler

▼ Content Management
____ Video
____ Audio
____ Images
____ Contacts
____ Files
____ Rss
____ Blogs
____ Web Documents
ONLINE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING WITH GAMBASSA

189
▼ Curricula
____ Ebooks
____ eWorkbooks
____ Projects
____ Files
____ videos, audio, images, (files - pdf, excel, word, etc.)
____ Online Courses

▼ E-Commerce
____ Products
examples: ebook, laptop charging station
____ Services
examples: proofreader, tutor
____ Subscriptions
examples: access to educational libraries, community access
____ Licenses
examples: cloud-based software, project templates, apps

Short Answer Response
Do you think Gambassa is an effective website for PBL implementation? Why or why not?
Please respond below:

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

ONLINE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING WITH GAMBASSA

190
APPENDIX H
INTERVIEW AND FOCUS GROUP WELCOME SCRIPT
Welcome. Thank you for being here. I appreciate your willingness to participate in this study on
Project-Based Learning and Cloud Management Systems. I want to begin by reviewing a few
items:

1. Participation is voluntary, and although I am not an employee of this school or district, I am
conducting this research in partial fulfillment of a dissertation. As a small token of my
appreciation, I will provide a $10 gift card of your choosing (Subway or Starbucks). You may
choose to discontinue participation at any time, and you still get to keep the gift card.

2. Please refer to the Information Sheet as I read over the information. Should you have any
questions, please feel free to stop and ask them.

3. After reading the Information Sheet, what questions might you have?

4. This study will explore technology use during Project-Based Learning (PBL), specifically
with the Gambassa website. Major topics included will be specific components of Gambassa that
bolster PBL implementation and it usefulness in K-12 schools and higher education. I will also
gather data on specific costs and benefits related to informal contracting that effect teachers,
students, and the Gambassa creator.

5. This research topic is opportune in light of increasing efforts by districts and schools to
promote authentic models of learning aligned to 21
st
Century Skills and the new Common Core
State Standards. Systematic implementation of PBL is becoming a nationwide phenomenon. This
study attempts to add to the literature pertaining to technology-supported PBL with a Cloud
Management System (CMS), such as Gambassa. The results of this study may be used to further
refine implementation of PBL, hence increasing its effectiveness and improving educational
outcomes for all students. Available upon your request will be a summary of the study’s
findings.

6. Before we begin, I want to inform you of protocols for a focus group format. I will ask that
students answer in a rotating round-robin format and that everyone answers each question,
whether it is to indicate agreement or a desire to not respond. All responses are confidential, and
no individual names will be used; research numbers will be assigned, and responses will not be
linked to individuals in order to protect subject identities. Please answer all questions honestly
and candidly. The duration of the focus group will be about 30 minutes and it will be audio
recorded. (Item 6 is only for focus groups.)

7. Thank you for your willingness to meet outside of school hours. I truly appreciate your time
and participation in this study. Feel free to grab coffee, water, or a snack. Also, feel free to take a
break when needed. Are there any questions before we begin?
ONLINE PROJECT-BASED LEARNING WITH GAMBASSA

191
APPENDIX I
INTERVIEW PROTOCOL
Questions for Teachers and Students:

1. How did you come to use Gambassa for Project-Based Learning?
2. How often do you use the Gambassa website?
3. Tell me about the different Gambassa resources/features that you use.
4. Why do you choose to use these specific resources?
5. If a new student entered the class tomorrow, how would you describe Gambassa?
6. What are some other Cloud Management Systems that you find useful for PBL?
7. If you could choose between Gambassa and an alternative CMS, which would you choose
and why?
8. How would you describe your overall experience using the Gambassa platform?
9. Describe the benefits of using Gambassa for PBL? How about the drawbacks?
10. If you had to purchase a license to use Gambassa, would you still buy it? Why or why not?
11. What do you perceive as the advantages and/or disadvantages of not being required to sign a
formal contract to use the Gambassa platform?
12. How would you describe you relationship with the Gambassa Creator?
13. Have you ever contacted the Gambassa Creator regarding a problem with the platform? If so,
how was your concern addressed?
14. If you could add or change one feature about Gambassa, what would it be and why?

Questions for the Gambassa Creator:

15. Describe your inspiration for creating the Gambassa platform.
16. If any, what CMS did you use prior to Gambassa?
17. How would you compare Gambassa to other PBL platforms?
18. What are some ways in which the website has evolved over time?
19. What do you think accounts for these changes?
20. What were some benefits and drawbacks of using Gambassa?
21. In what ways have you solicited feedback, opinions, and/or recommendations from teachers
and students?
22. Would you encourage other teachers to use Gambassa for PBL implementation?
23. Why or why not?
24. Why would a district/school want to use Gambassa for PBL impelmenation?
25. What transaction costs are associated with managing Gambassa? In other words, is
Gambassa totally free?
a. On average, how much time do you spend per day working on the platform?
b. How much time do you spend servicing calls/emails and troubleshooting for users of
the platform?
c. What sacrifices are made at the expense of managing Gambassa?

Abstract (if available)

Abstract School districts across the United States are witnessing a resurgence of interest in online Project‐Based Learning (PBL) and its application in the classroom. Online PBL immerses students into meaningful, real‐life situations that necessitate skills in critical thinking, goal setting, problem solving, and collaboration. However, managing an online PBL project can be cumbersome without the proper virtual tools. Cloud Management Systems (CMSs) offer one solution to managing networked PBL projects. CMSs simultaneously provide content storage, project management, and networking opportunities. Despite these benefits, online PBL services that require formal contracts and expensive software can limit online PBL implementation in schools. This particular research study examined Gambassa, a CMS that offers free PBL services and other virtual tools to teachers and students by way of an informal contract. Transaction cost economics (TCE) theory was used to frame the study and determine benefits, costs, and the overall impact of informal contracting on stakeholder groups. Specific features of Gambassa and their effectiveness were also explored. Data for this qualitative study were collected from teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator through focus groups, individual interviews, and surveys. Two high schools and two colleges were included in this study. Salient findings were noted for each of the five Gambassa components (Social Engagement, Organizational Tools, Content Management, Curricula, and E‐Commerce). The most utilized components for online PBL were Content Management, Curricula, and Social Engagement. Collectively, students and teachers gave positive feedback about the integrated capabilities of Gambassa. For the teachers, Gambassa proved to be a critical asset to PBL implementation. Additional findings revealed specific transaction costs for teachers, students, and the Gambassa Creator. The study corroborated online PBL through Gambassa as one model for optimizing technology use in the 21st century classroom. This style of course delivery may be essential for preparing students to be career and college ready. Equally imperative are the benefits of informal contracting, which may provide immediate access to a CMS that accommodates online PBL. Furthermore, the study confirmed Gambassa as an invaluable resource for the online PBL experience.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Warren, Acacia Mercell Osborne (author)

Core Title A study of online project-based learning with Gambassa: crossroads of informal contracting and cloud management systems

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 06/05/2014

Defense Date 03/26/2014

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag 21st century skills,cloud management systems,Contracts,digital pedagogy,OAI-PMH Harvest,online learning,project‐based learning,Transaction Cost Economics

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Hentschke, Guilbert C. (committee chair), Burch, Patricia E. (committee member), Strunk, Katharine O. (committee member)

Creator Email acaciawa@usc.edu,warren.acacia@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-417920

Unique identifier UC11295787

Identifier etd-WarrenAcac-2530.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-417920 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-WarrenAcac-2530.pdf

Dmrecord 417920

Document Type Dissertation

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Warren, Acacia Mercell Osborne

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA