Working on a digital research-based collaborative project in higher education: students’ perspectives on benefits and challenges

In the present-day technological era, the use of digital technology forteaching and learning has become popular, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence that students are able to apply their digital technological skills to their learning. This paper reports on the implementation of a digital research-based collaborative project in an undergraduate sociolinguistics course offered in an English-medium university in Hong Kong. It investigated students’ perceptions of the benefits gained and the challenges encountered. Based on a reflexive thematic analysis of students’ qualitative comments, a range of benefits were reported, including the enhancement of content knowledge, technological knowledge, research skills and awareness, as well as collaborative and communication skills. Students also reported different challenges associated with the use of digital technology, the research process, and their collaborative endeavor, and students’ ability to overcome these challenges led to unexpected learning opportunities. Our findings suggest that when students are given the opportunity to engage with a purposeful use of digital technology, they can develop various digital literacy skills, achieve digital competence, and gain enriched content knowledge and criticality. Our findings also show that the inclusion of a collaborative component can enable students to experience the art of collaboration in cyberspace. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.