Thursday 15 May 2008

Highpoint Symposium - Workshop 3 - Using wikis to enhance group tasks

The widening participation agenda in higher education has seen a growing problem with the issue of retention, the recognition of the importance of encouraging students into deep learning and also the need to improve their motivation by providing a rich learning environment. The role of group working has long been recognised as an important element in addressing these issues. This session is based on work undertaken by Jon Philpott and the use of wikis by teams in a non-teaching environment; and also on work undertaken as part of a Research Informed Teaching Award project by Mike Leigh and Lucy Mathers which looked at the use of wikis & blogs to facilitate group working and the development of on-line learning communities.

In this workshop Jon will discuss the motivators behind the decision to adopt the use of wikis by the Data Management section of the Registry. He will then explore some of the problems encountered and solutions implemented when integrating a wiki within their team to enable them build shared knowledge bases. Mike and Lucy will then highlight the impact of using Web2.0 technologies within Blackboard for a range of student group work.

There will also be some audience participation in the seeking of staff attitudes towards the use of such technologies within a teaching environment.

Mile Leigh

2 comments:

jane@salsabaile said...

this was really interesting - particularly the use of the wiki as a team tool - as this is exactly what I am looking to demonstrate to my students on a module about virtual teams. I also wondered about how our team here at DMU could use it and will be discussing this with my boss soon!

Simon said...

a well presented and interesting session - i liked the focus on both student and staff participation and the insight into getting the most out of them