Staidr was developed as a tool to enable students to collaborate effectively in online, offline and hybrid environments. The project has been developed over the last two years, and this thesis details the journey from initial research through the development of the platform, the resulting validation of this platform and the underlying methodology. Three studies were conducted throughout this project: a pilot study to fully understand the effectiveness of the pedagogical methodology, followed by a more accelerated study to introduce the online platform. We encapsulated our evaluation by performing a final year-long study examining the effects of our application on a university class throughout two semesters. Overall, both the methodology and platform have been well received by educators and students alike. Our feedback indicated a clear use case for such a platform, and further developments will only improve its significance.