1. New Collaboration Technologies for Implementing Problem-based Learning Mark A. Serva Assistant Professor of MIS University of Delaware Institute for Transforming Undergraduate Education July 21, 2006 PBL Conference

2. Why Should Students Use Collaboration Technology (CT)?  Students are “teamed to death”  More students are working and are constrained in their available time  Organizations are using this systems to manage knowledge  Helps students organize their projects  Easy to use

3. Why Should You Use Collaboration Technology?  Organization: Students post their assignments in one location  Less student frustration  Facilitating collaboration encourages collaboration  The technology is becoming easier to use  Increased student awareness of the possibilities

4. Synchronous versus Asynchronous CT  Synchronous or “Same Time” interaction  Brainstorming  File exchange  Project Management/Keeping in Touch  Asynchronous—“Different Time” Interaction  Development of project deliverables over time  Project repository—project files, time tables, assignments  Gradual development of project ideas  Project Management/Setting of Tasks and Goals

5. Background on my Class  Classes  2 Sections of Managing IT Personnel  Focus on the Management of Remote Employees  All Seniors who had taken at least 2 technology classes  Synchronous Technology: MSN Instant Messenger  Asynchronous Technologies: SharePoint & MediaWiki

6. How Students Used MSN Instant Messenger  Integrated Chat  Video Conferencing  File Exchange  Whiteboard  Interactive development of pictures and graphics  Good for brainstorming

7. My Use of IM/MSN Messenger  Students could contact me during designated hours (“virtual office hours”)  Easier to ask questions over IM than in person  File exchange allowed me to review progress  Decreased physical traffic in my office  MSN Messenger integrates with SharePoint

8. MSN Demo

9. Asynchronous Collaboration: SharePoint & MediaWiki  SharePoint  Included with Windows Server 2003  Team Repository that integrates with Office 2003  MediaWiki  Open source application for implementing Wikis

10. SharePoint Demo SharePoint Demo

11. SharePoint: the Good and Bad  Setting up and configuring SharePoint will probably require the assistance of your network admin  You will need a server, but it doesn’t require a lot of power  Mine: 930 MHz, 512 MB RAM for one class of 30  Creating and modifying SharePoint sites is easy  Integration with Office is very easy  Great for collaborating with colleagues on research projects!

12. What Is a Wiki?  A collaborative web-based environment for sharing ideas  Technology is simple to learn and easy to use  I love it because it forces students to think and evaluate what others have written  The most famous Wiki is Wikipedia, which uses the MediaWiki software Wikipedia

13. The Wiki Philosophy  All Wiki users have an inherent right to change another’s work  Along with this right comes an expectation of mutual respect and trust. Use the Wiki to move toward a coherent and effective source of knowledge—not as a battleground for divergent opinions.  Wikis epitomize collaboration without personal interaction.  One of the founders of Wikipedia once stated, “The only way you can write something that survives [in a Wiki] is that someone who’s your diametrical opposite can agree with it.” In other words, don't dictate—collaborate!

14. Wiki Demo Wiki Demo

15. Notes About Wikis  The main requirement for effective Wiki collaboration is said to be trust—i.e., that participants will not act out of malice but out of a mutual desire to create an effective product that reflects multiple perspectives.  Wikis are asynchronous tools: A Wiki page cannot be edited by more than one user at a time.  Instructors can track which students have participated and the extent of their participation  Wiki access must be restricted by ID and password

16. Final Suggestions  Because students will increasingly rely on IT to communicate in their jobs, incorporate CT into your classes  CT can facilitate PBL by encouraging students to think and evaluate each other’s work  The opportunities for leveraging CT are unprecedented  Students are increasingly aware of CT and use it in their daily interaction