Abstract:

From all the Web 2.0 tools, wikis have been used in higher education more extensively because of the perceived usefulness in promoting collaboration and development of skills. However, gender differences could exist in the epistemological student development during the college years which can be reflected in their way of interacting with peers and instructors (Baxter Magolda, 1992). Students working in a wiki project could permit to study the dynamics of such interactions. What are the attitudes of undergraduate students regarding team collaboration, peer evaluation, task completion, and comfort and how these attitudes relate to their perception about the quality of discussion, their satisfaction with the process, and the outcomes of a wiki project?
Freshman undergraduate students (n=63) enrolled in an introductory ecology course were required to submit their end of the semester group assignments online using a group wiki. Students were asked to collaborate in groups of 4-5, select a group leader, and create and maintain a group wiki using a commercially available and free-of-charge provider. Research topics were selected in the third week of classes and were developed during the time the wiki project lasted. Rubrics for the group wiki project were made available to students and included: credit for active participation of team members in the task of the project, regular follow up to monitor progress of the project, team member participation in decision-making, team adjustments to unforeseen circumstances, and ability to use diversity to build group strength. Peer evaluation was used as a prime mode and instructor evaluation as secondary mode for the final project evaluation.
A pre-test questionnaire was used to measure student attitudes regarding the value of team collaboration/interaction, the effectiveness of tasks accomplished through collaborative learning, the effectiveness of peer evaluation, and the comfort level working within groups. A post-test questionnaire was used to measure self-reported perceptions on the quality of discussions; students’ satisfaction with the process used; perceived satisfaction with the outcomes; and students’ perceived learning. Differences between males and females were examined.
The great percentage of students perceived favorably the use of wikis. However, there were significant differences in the means regarding students’ perception of quality of discussions, and student perceived satisfaction, with females scoring higher than males. Significant correlations were observed in the means regarding: a) female pre-test attitudes in team collaboration and post-test perceived quality of discussions, b) female pre-test attitudes of team collaboration and post-test perceptions about the satisfaction with the outcome, and c) female pre-test peer evaluation and post-test perceived satisfaction with the outcomes. No correlations between pre-test attitudes and post-test perceptions were found within the male group. To our understanding, this is the first attempt to report on the correlation between perceived outcomes and pre-test attitudes towards collaboration in a wiki environment.

Keywords:

Wikis, perceptions, higher education, collaboration, epistemological student development, ecology.