Collaborative working: Wiki and the creation of a sense of community

Abstract

This paper reports on the effectiveness of Wiki technology for creating a sense of community amongst 96 second year computing undergraduates engaged in group based assessment activities. This--paper reports on the student experience, their attitudes and feedback relating to the use of a Wiki over a one year period at the University of--Hertfordshire, through the use of pre- and post-test questionnaires. In addition to the questionnaires, student reflections were captured using a--Blog, with entries about their understanding of the purpose of the community, rationale, and how the Wiki influenced and supported their undertaking of the group based assessment activities in a social--constructivist blended learning environment.