Abstract
The number of online courses offered worldwide by higher education institutions has been growing rapidly. There are a number of issues that affect student learning, such as the experience of academic staff and students in online courses, the design of course structures, creation of suitable teaching resources, and the study culture. One possible way to address them is to adopt a cloud-based collaborative environment between universities. This paper presents the results of a study that explores the issues that universities should consider before establishing such an environment. Two surveys were conducted sequentially. The research identified a number of issues which were categorised into challenges and opportunities. The challenges relate to education, operation, quality, legal matters and security. The opportunities identify potential benefits from the perspectives of universities and students. The paper also indicates a future plan for the outcome of this research.