Analysis of the use of Wiki-based collaborations in enhancing student learning

Abstract

"Wiki" is an extension of a standard web-site that allows anyone to add new and edit existing content. The most famous example of the wiki usage is the “wikipedia” - the increasingly popular on-line encyclopaedia (www.wikipedia.com). Any malicious or accidental updates are safe-guarded against by an inherit version control system. Since their introduction in mid 90s (“WikiWikiWeb” developed by Ward Cunningham) wikis have been used as a tool to assist businesses (Leuf&Cunningham, 2001; Cortese, 2003; Goodnoe, 2005) as well as e-learning environments in schools and higher education (Leuf&Cunningham, 2001; Bruns & Humphreys, 2005; Richardson 2006), by providing new and simple ways for a web-based collaboration and authoring. The main aim of this paper is to identify and assess the ways in which wiki technology can enhance students learning experience in a blended-learning environment. In the analysis we will focus on learning and teaching issues raised in the scenarios developed during the Semester B trial in the UH Business School, with a target group of 20 MSc students studying “E-business interactions” module.