Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there is a cultural gap in student perceptions of online collaborative learning and to investigate to what extent student perceptions, motivation, and learning strategies change over time due to the actual involvement in a collaborative e-learning environment (ELE). Design/methodology/approach: A parallel e-learning environment for a first-year university course is implemented for a Flemish group (n = 217) at Ghent University and a Chinese group (n = 165) at Beijing Normal University. Student perceptions of the online collaborative learning environment and their motivation and learning strategies before and after the ELE are measured. Findings: The findings show that the Flemish group perceive the online collaborative learning environment more positively compared to the Chinese group. However, Chinese students' motivation, and learning strategies change significantly towards a way that is more in line with a social-constructivist learning approach after the online collaborative learning experience. Practical implications: The current results indicate that students from different cultural contexts perceive online collaborative learning environments differently. Specific cultural adaptations in e-learning design could be considered when an ELE is to be implemented cross-culturally. Originality/value: This study can help both Chinese and Western instructors to become aware of different perceptions of online collaborative learning and to be more supportive to the students. (Contains 6 tables.)