2. Australian Learning
& Teaching Council
Case Study
The case study was carried out at
Swinbourne University, addressing
the facilitation of effective group
work.
3. How to facilitate on-
line group work
The study looked at
many different
technologies for group
work, with wikis being
chosen
QUOTE
‘Before deciding what type of
technology to use, we must first
have a clear idea of what we want
technology to do in our
classrooms; what learning
outcomes we want students to
achieve’
(King, B. 2007)
4. Wikis
Wikis located in assessment area after they log into the
blackboard site
Easy to insert a Varity of media and text
In comments you see a snap shot of student discussion
on the page content and praise of the work
Easy to edit the content as well as the style of the page
A an assessor it is easy to check edits – Who has done
the work
5. Benefits
Minimal time spent to
learn the technology
Produced better results
than individual efforts
Students loved the
experience
Teachers received
positive response from
the students
As assessors the
teachers can easily QUOTE
indentify who has Effective e-learning should provide an ‘interaction
produced the work between students, content, and technology’
(Keengwe and Kidd. 2010)
6. Planning
Had never done off
campus group work
before, consulted the
literature surrounding
Built up a team of 12
tutors
Whole team ultilised to
assess the student wikis
first go around.
QUOTE
Roper (2007) emphasises the need for
instructors to communicate with their
learners to keep them engaged.
7. Teaching support
mechanisms
Support manual with
screen shots provided
Links to other wikis
Recorded demo lecture
Design relevant
assessment strategies
QUOTE
‘Assessment procedures are essential to make
sure that teaching is more effective with a
particular technological tool than without
(King, B. 2007)
8. Conclusion
Most students started
with the believe they
could not do group work
on-line
Students were pleased
with the extent they
achieved success both
with the assessment and
creating successful on-
line relationships
Able to give off-campus
students the same
experience, feedback
and opportunities as on- QUOTE
‘E-learning activities can turn rather dull online
campus students
experiences into entertaining, interactive, meaningful
and valuable learning experiences for students’
(Watkins, R. 20025)
9. References
Keengwe, J. & Kidd, T. 2010, 'Towards best practices in online
learning and teaching in higher education', MERLOT: Journal of
online learning and teaching, vol. 6, no. 2.
King, B. 2007, ‘Think small! A beginner’s guide to using
technology to promote learning’, EDUCAUSE Quarterly
Magazine, vol. 30, no. 1.
Roper, A. 2007, ‘How students develop online learning skills’,
EDUCAUSE Quarterly Magazine, vol. 30, no. 1.
Watkins, R. 2005, ‘Developing interactive e-learning activities’,
Performance improvement journal, vol. 44, no5.
