Using Wiki as a facilitative tool for group work

Setting an effective learning experience for students is a very complex process and yet, this has become even more challenging as the numbers of students in lectures are increasing. Apart from the usual complexities such as additional administration processes and errors associated with large units, there are other critical issues that need to be addressed. In particular, students may not have the opportunity of reasonable interaction with the lecturer and their classmates. Certainly larger units have the potential to provide an opportunity of having a wider range of lateral thinking and innovative ideas. However, these opportunities are often overlooked as there is no practical tool to support them. In this paper we report on our ongoing work using a Wiki for two different units, one an undergraduate unit and another at a postgraduate level. We found that while there are considerable differences between our perception and students’ perceptions on using a Wiki, it can be a powerful tool for providing a space for students to present and record their efforts. Through using Wiki students can effectively disseminate their work and interact beyond their tutorial classes.