Abstract

To know whether students’ achievements are the result of online interaction and not just a consequence of individual differences themselves, it seems essential to link the cognitive results to other communities, contexts and institutions. Collaboration is based on the degree in which the online student senses the availability of, and connectedness with, other students, teachers and institutions. The purpose of this research is to show some evidence of the mutual influence between institutions that offer online learning programs. The research aim is analyzing the dimensions that allow  joint interests for collaborating between higher education institutions that offer management programs mediated by information and communication technologies. One hundred and twenty institutions institutions offering online higher education programs in management will be analyzed. The research will be developed during a year in three phases focused on identifying needs, the main trends and joint interest in the field of management to provide foundations, results and conclusions.

Keywords: online higher education, management, collaboration, computer-mediated communication.