Abstract:

In this paper we describe the application of wiki tools in the teaching-learning process in Computing courses at the Secondary Education level. A wiki is a user-created website that can be accessed and modified by multiple users. The main objective of this paper is to show how wikis can be used as a powerful tool for educational research and how we can measure each student learning in designing and writing the wikis.

The methodology described in the paper is based on the CSCL/PLE (Computer Supported Collaborative Learning/Personal Learning Environment) model for teaching Computer Science in Secondary Education. In this methodology, students are divided into heterogeneous groups and each of them is assigned the writing of wiki web pages with information on different topics about Computer Science. In this way, students can learn collaborative and creative skills which allow the group to produce shared knowledge that benefits all members.

As an integral and crucial component of the methodology, we have designed a tool called WikiStatistics, for the evaluation of the teaching process based on the use of wikis in a semi-automatic way. In addition to the designed tool, we have used the wiki tools and questionnaires provided by Moodle. The WikiStatistics tool has been developed to perform statistical analysis and automatic correction of wikis in all areas in general, but it has been specifically applied in the educational environment. Using the WikiStatistics tool, teachers can automatically collect and analyze data about the interaction in the learning process. In this way, it is possible to obtain a large amount of information about the wiki made by the students that will allow semi-automatic determination of the strengths and weaknesses of groups and individuals in order to be able to lead students to their goals.

In the paper we describe some teaching experiences in which the methodology is used. As the main result and conclusion from these experiences, we show that the method has been of great help for the students, improving the teaching-learning process compared to more conventional teaching approaches. These results and conclusions have been confirmed not only by the subjective opinions of the students obtained from surveys, but also from all the objective data obtained from the different tests, which indicate an improvement in the teaching-learning process. On the other hand, based on the information obtained from the WikiStatistics tool and the subsequent analysis of the resulting data, we show that it is possible to detect specific learning problems and analyze their possible cause in order to take measures to solve them.

Keywords:

Computer Programming, Secondary Education, Problem Solving, Pedagogical Innovations, Collaborative Learning, Assessment of Student Learning.