Employing Wikis for Online Collaboration in the E-Learning Environment: Case Study

This paper examines the various ways in which students reflect on their very recent experiences in collaborating in an online e-learning environment. Wikis, fully editable websites, are easily accessible, require no software and allow its contributors, in this case students, to feel a sense of responsibility and ownership. Wikis are everywhere, but, unfortunately, the online literature has not yet begun to focus enough on wikis (Mattison 2003). Whereas students are used to the WebCT based university Elearning environment, Deakin Studies Online (DSO), this case study, completed in Nov 2004, was conducted to test the wiki platform as a means of online collaboration in the tertiary education environment. A full analysis of the results is presented, as are recommendations for improving the platform in an effort to employ wikis and utilize them to their full and absolute potential.