Cited as: Chu, S.K.W., Zhang, Y., Chen, K., Chan, C.K., Lee, C.W.Y., Zou, E., Lau, W. (in press). The effectiveness of wikis for project-based learning in different disciplines in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education.
The effectiveness of wikis for project-based learning in different disciplines in higher education
Samuel Kai Wah Chu a,[1],Yin Zhanga,b, Katherine Chenc, Chi Keung Chand, Celina Wing Yi Leea, Ellen Zoue, Wilfred Lauf
a Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
b Department of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, P. R. China
c Faculty of Arts, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
d Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
e Faculty of Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
f Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong,Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, P. R. China
Abstract
Concerning the effectiveness of using wikis for project-based learning in higher education, this study compared the perceptions and actions among students in three undergraduate courses of different disciplines, English Language Studies, Information Management, and Mechanical Engineering, who used wikis in their course assignments. Using a triangulation methodology, the study shows that students mostly hold positive attitudes towards the use of wikis for project-based learning. However, significant differences exist in 5 aspects, such as “Motivation” and “Knowledge Management”, in the questionnaire among all participants. Additionally, the level of participation and core actions on the wikis vary among students of the three disciplines. These findings can be explained by the variations in participants’ previous learning experiences, their technical backgrounds and the relationship between learning goals and collaborative learning. A series of insights are offered in the context of the use of wikis in project-based learning in higher education.
Keywords:Wiki, Project-Based Learning, Collaboration
- Introduction
The popularity of social media in the past few decades has motivated many researchers to utilize social media tools, services and applications for educational activities in higher education (Gikas & Grant, 2013; Moran, Seaman, & Tinti-Kane, 2011; Tess, 2013). Compared with traditional media, which emphasize a uni-directional knowledge transmission and acquisition, social media focus more on active participation, collaboration, and knowledge sharing among users (Mao, 2014). As such, some researchers believed that substantial changes in educational approaches will take place with the adoption of social media in higher education (Anderson, 2008; Tess, 2013; Vartiainen, Liljeström, & Enkenberg, 2012). Hung and Yuen (2010) urged that technology integration courses be redesigned to leverage social media. Although it seems that advances in technology have demanded changes in educational approaches, the primary impetus behind the changes still lies in the increasing need to develop students’ key competency for teamwork and collaboration during their course of study (Pellegrino & Hilton, 2013). Professionals today have to cope with increasingly sophisticated problems and to complete tasks that require expertise from different disciplines. In many cases, success depends largely upon teamwork (Dettmer, Knackendoffel, & Thurston, 2012). Students today need to be equipped with collaboration capabilities when they graduate from universities (Khine & Saleh, 2010; Slater & Ravid, 2010). Until now, even though many scholars have been involved in research on the effects and limitations of social media with respect to education, most studies have mainly focused on the effects of the technical aspects of social media on learning; for example, the comparison of the technological affordances of different types of social media tools for collaborative learning (Hmelo-Silver, Chernobilsky, & Nagarajan, 2009; Ioannou, Brown, & Artino, 2015; Suthers, Vatrapu, Medina, Joseph, & Dwyer, 2008), and neglected reflective analysis on the instructional approaches for learning with the use of social media.
Project-based learning as an instructional method has been introduced into social media environment with the aim of facilitating collaboration in higher education (Biasutti & EL-Deghaidy, 2015; Hamid & Mansor, 2012; Popescu, 2014). However, little is known about how students in different disciplinary courses perceive the affordances of social media for collaborative project-based learning. Since students are the direct beneficiaries of the intervention, it is logical for us to explore their point of views. To fill this research gap, the authors conducted an empirical study to explore whether the effects of social media tools (in particular, wikis) on project-based learning vary in different disciplines from the perceptions of students.
- Literature review
In this literature review, an overview of research on wikis, project-based learning, and using wikis in project-based learning is provided. Besides, the theoretical foundations of using wikis in project-based learning on which we based the study are described.
2.1Wikis for higher education
With the trend of bringing social media into classrooms, accompanied with the ongoing demand for students to develop teamwork and collaboration skills, social software, such as wikis, which support collaborative learning, have attracted considerable attention in higher education in recent years (Ertmer et al., 2011; Judd, Kennedy, & Cropper, 2010; Malinen, 2015). According to Leuf and Cunningham (2001), a wiki is a hypertext system that allows users to record and change their posts; a wiki is also a database within which users can create and edit their own webpages. Put simply, a wiki is a web-based tool for individuals to build up hypertexts incrementally and collaboratively (Cole, 2009; Shih, Tseng, & Yang, 2008). In light of three key features of wikis – open editing, a revision tracking mechanism, and a discussion feature – the potential of wikis to promote effective learning is gaining increasing interest among educators (RoussinosJimoyiannis, 2013; Zheng, Niiya,Warschauer, 2015). With open editing, students can create their wiki pages simply by adding hypertexts and can also incorporate multimedia to develop their wikis for knowledge building. Additionally, the track changes feature of wikis can promote collaboration and support students’ higher order thinking skills through revisions of shared documents with peers (Sanden & Darragh, 2011). As for the wiki’s discussion features, they provide opportunities for students to detect problems, settle controversies, and reach agreements to revise the shared pages (Liou & Lee, 2011; Matthew & Callaway, 2008; NamiMarandi, 2014). With these features, wikis have been mostly used as tools to facilitate group projects (Abdekhodaee, Kourosh, Modarres, Chase, & Ross, 2015).
Apart from supporting students’ learning, wikis also have the potential to help teachers make appropriate judgments and decisions in teaching and assessment. A common problem in group learning is that teachers find it difficult to distinguish contributions among group members, which may cause discontent or complaints from students who think that their contribution and efforts were “stolen by” the free-riders. Such lack of transparency also makes it challenging for teachers to provide timely support and guidance to individual students. With the revision history function of wikis, students’ collaborative process has become transparent to teachers, so teachers can supervise the learning process, provide effective feedback, and make pedagogical decisions more easily (Lai & Ng, 2011).
Much theoretical and empirical research has shown that wikis can enhance students’ collaborative learning in higher education contexts. For instance, Salaber (2014) focused on students’ learning outcomes in a postgraduate course using a wiki and discovered that the implementation of wiki activities resulted in enhanced collaborative learning, improvement of learning outcome, and facilitation of students’ development of high-level thinking skills. Roussinos and Jimoyiannis’s (2013) investigation into students’ beliefs and perceptions of a wiki-based collaborative learning activity also showed that wikis were effective in enhancing students’ group assignments and collaborative learning. Moreover, in De Wever et al.’s (2015) study, surveys, log-file analyses, group product scores and pre- and post-test scores were integrated to investigate learning experiences, learning behavior, the content knowledge and the quality of wiki tasks, which provided researchers and educators a comprehensive understanding of the effects of using wikis for student learning. In sum, in the past decade, many empirical studies have showed that wikis have been effectively used to enhance students’ collaborative work (e.g., Judd, Kennedy, & Cropper, 2010; Malinen, 2015).
However, some studies have revealed that using wikis for projects does not necessarily ensure effective collaboration among group members (Choy & Ng, 2007). For example, students are often reluctant to amend others' work (BlauCaspi, 2009); they tend to focus only on information they contributed (Wheeler, Yeomans, & Wheeler, 2008). Some possible reasons for this may relate to students’ perceptions of amending others’ work. For instance, students often feel that editing others’ work is inappropriate (Coyle Jr, 2007), and they do not wish to interfere with “somebody else’s material” (Konja & Ben-Zvi, 2008). In addition, students may not take advantage of the wiki collaborative features as they may prefer to work in isolation, resulting in very limited support from group members (Boling, Hough, Krinsky, Saleem, & Stevens, 2012). Therefore, a wiki per se cannot guarantee effective collaboration among learners, and instructional support is critically needed in order to generate high-level collaborative activities and help students develop collaborative skills (Cole, 2009; De Wever et al., 2015; Wichmann & Rummel, 2013). As a useful instructional strategy, project-based learning has been introduced by many researchers to bring about productive group work, in which projects are pertinent to learners' real worlds and require students’ active engagement in the process of collecting resources, communicating ideas, and evaluating concrete products (Boss & Krauss, 2014; Howard, 2002; Koh, Herring, & Hew, 2010).
2.2 Project-based learning in higher education
Project-based learning refers to engaging students in accomplishing a project in real-world context, through which students move towards developing knowledge and skills related to the project (Cavanaugh, 2004). According to Lipson et al.’s (2007) research, there are three characteristics that an ideal project-based learning should exhibit: process-oriented, context-related and student-centered. As a process-oriented endeavor, project-based learning serves to drive learning activities that culminate in a final product (Bell, 2010; Land & Zembal-Saul, 2003), and students’ learning of knowledge, skills and dispositions are embedded in the process of project development (Cavanaugh, 2004). In project-based learning, students are provided with context-related projects in which students’ learning experiences reflect real-world collaborative problem-solving practices (Olesen & Jensen, 1999; Thomas, 2000). Students’ are required to participate actively in project-based learning and take the initiative to explore ways to complete a task. By contrast, teachers act as facilitators in creating the conditions necessary for students to work with each other (Pascarella, Terenzini, & Feldman, 2005; Smith, Sheppard, Johnson, & Johnson, 2005).
In the early 1900s, Kilpatrick (1918) introduced project-based learning as an instructional approach in K-12 education. With its successes in schools, and project-based learning gradually spread to professional education and higher education (Cavanaugh, 2004; Koh et al., 2010; Von Kotze & Cooper, 2000). Project-based learning has advantages over traditional didactic instruction in promoting students’ professional development in several aspects. First, the primary learning goal of project-based learning is the cultivation of life skills (e.g. teamwork, communication), whereas the learning goal of traditional instruction is the acquisition of knowledge (Lipson et al., 2007). Second, the learning materials of project-based learning are developed by students during their discovery process, whereas the learning materials of traditional instruction are textbooks or assigned reading resources. Last but not least, project-based learning requires students to approach projects in an interdisciplinary way, work together as a community, and solve open, sophisticated ill-structured problems in a real world situation, whereas traditional instruction guides students to learn knowledge from systematically-organized textbooks, and to answer predesigned well-structured questions individually.
Many studies on the practices of group work have shown the significance of the project-based method in higher education. Lipson et al. (2007) conducted a case study in MIT to explore freshmen’s perceptions of a project-based learning community, and the results indicated that students showed positive attitudes towards it. After working with 60 project groups, Yang and Cheng (2010) concluded that project-based learning had positive effects on the development of students’ creativity and innovation, as well as life skills of teamwork and communication. Bilgin, Karakuyu and Ay’s (2015) research showed that undergraduates in primary education developed better performance skills in science and technology teaching; their self-efficacy beliefs in project-based learning has increased more than the students instructed by traditional methods. Besides, Hung, Hwang and Huang (2012) found that technology-aided project-based learning was effective in enhancing students’ motivation in science learning and their capability in problem solving.
2.3 Using wikis in project-based learning
So far, a considerable amount of research on the application of wikis in project-based learning for different disciplines has reported promising findings. For instance, Hamid and Mansor’s (2012) experimental research showed various potentials of wikis in enhancing interest, participation and peer editing through a fun activity of collaborative story writing on a wiki site among 15 ESL (i.e. English as a Second Language) postgraduate students in Malaysia; Biasutti and EL-Deghaidy (2015) investigated the effects of a wiki within the framework of IPBL (Interdisciplinary Project-based Learning) in a virtual environment and found that the wiki had a significant impact on students’ collaborative work.Popescu (2014) also reported a successful case study of using a wiki as a project-based learning support tool for 215 students’ learning in the Web Applications Design course over 4 years.
2.4Theoretical frameworkof wiki-supported project-based learning
The theoretical framework of wiki-supported project-based learning is based on social constructivist theory and the engagement theory (Biasutti & EL-Deghaidy, 2015; Hazari, North, & Moreland, 2009). This study integrates features of social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978) and the engagement theory (KearsleyShneiderman, 1998), and puts forward a clear integrated conceptual model of the pedagogy as illustrated in Figure 1.
Fig. 1. Theoretical framework of wiki-supported project-based learning
This model elucidates that the instructional design of wiki-supported project-based learning was supported by the engagement theory, in which the learning experience is enhanced by learning collaboratively (Relating), learning with project-based approaches (Creating), and learning with realistic focus (Donating) (KearsleyShneiderman, 1998). On top of these three elements, the theory also suggests that student’s engagement in learning can be facilitated with technology.As previous research has shown that the use of wikis has potential in facilitating students’ engagement (Hazari et al., 2009; Strickland & Xie, 2012), it is suggested that, when considering introducing wikis in learning, instruction with wikis is required to address the three criteria by providing an environment for students to make their points clearly, share thoughts with peers freely, and work collaboratively to finish a projects related practical problems (Cole, 2009).
In addition, when introducing wikis in learning, social constructivism is recommended as a theoretical basis for effective learning (Biasutti & EL-Deghaidy, 2015; Chu, Lee, & King, 2012; Hazari et al., 2009). Constructivism focuses on students’ active role in knowledge sharing and building, and requires instructional attention to students’ learning motivation and their abilities to apply what they learn to practical problems (Chu, 2008; Chu, Siu, Liang, Capio, & Wu, 2013; Cunningham & Duffy, 1996). Under the constructivist theory, instruction with wikis is expected to align with constructivist learning by providing social interaction, embedding learning in real-world cases, appreciating exploration of disagreement, and encouraging application of constructed knowledge (Bruner, 1990; Buck, 2004; Karasavvidis, 2010; Vygotsky, Hanfmann, & Vakar, 2012). Without constructivism, the use of wikis cannot guarantee the quality of student interaction, neither can it affect students’ knowledge construction in positive ways (Bower, Woo, Roberts, & Watters, 2006; VeermanVeldhuis-Diermanse, 2001).
Under the constructivist theory, the traditional exam-based learning which emphasizes rote learning and knowledge transmission from teacher to students has been shifted towards a student-centered instructional approach, i.e. project-based learning (Chu, 2008). From the above analysis of project-based learning, it can be seen that project-based learning has three characteristics, i.e. process-oriented, context-related and student-centered (Lipson et al., 2007), and these characteristics conform to constructivist theory. Therefore, it infers that project-based learning embodies constructivist instructional ideas (Bell, 2010; Boss & Krauss, 2014).
2.5 Rationale for this study
Although a considerable number of studies on the application of wikis in project-based learning have reported promising findings, there are still limitations. With wikis being applied to an increasingly diverse range of courses, little is known about how students from different disciplines perceive the use of wikis for collaborative learning. According to Hamid, Waycott, Kurnia, and Chang (2015), understanding students’ perceptions of online social networking in collaboration work can help tailor educational activities to meet students’ preferred learning needs, which can improve student engagement. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the effectiveness of wikis for project-based learning from the viewpoint of students. Moreover, most of the previous research was discussed in the context of a single area of study without a comparison of different scenarios of wiki use in various disciplines, and students’ specific learning modes with wikis in different disciplines have hitherto been neglected. As Harris, Mishra, and Koehler (2009) proposed, the ways of inquiry and expression in disciplines have varied in essence, thus, the variety of subject content could be a critical factor in influencing the quality of project-based learning in wiki settings.
To fill the research gap, this study adopted a broader perspective to compare and analyze students’ perceptions and activities concerning the use of wikis for project collaboration in different disciplines in higher education. Specifically, three courses of distinct disciplineswere chosen in the present research, namely, English Language Studies (ENGL), Information Management (BSIM), and Mechanical Engineering (MECH). In each course, students were instructed to conduct group projectsusing wikis. This study aims at identifying the educational needs of students in different disciplines, with the ultimate goal in creatingmore favorable learning contexts and more effective instructional strategies integrating wikis in varied undergraduate disciplines.