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
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
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
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
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
How Students Used
MSN Instant Messenger




Integrated Chat
Video Conferencing
File Exchange
Whiteboard
 Interactive development of pictures and
graphics
 Good for brainstorming
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
MSN Demo
Asynchronous Collaboration:
SharePoint & MediaWiki
 SharePoint
 Included with Windows Server 2003
 Team Repository that integrates with Office
2003
 MediaWiki
 Open source application for implementing
Wikis
SharePoint Demo
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!
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
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!
Wiki Demo
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
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