ERIC Number: EJ1153301
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1547-9714
EISSN: N/A
Incorporating Wiki Technology in a Traditional Biostatistics Course: Effects on University Students' Collaborative Learning, Approaches to Learning and Course Performance
Fong, Shirley S. M.; Chu, Samuel K. W.; Lau, Wilfred W.F.; Doherty, Iain; Hew, K. F.
Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, v16 p285-299 2017
Aim/Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of incorporating wiki technology in an undergraduate biostatistics course for improving university students' collaborative learning, approaches to learning, and course performance. Methodology: During a three year longitudinal study, twenty-one and twenty-four undergraduate students were recruited by convenience sampling and assigned to a wiki group (2014-2015) and a control group (2013-2014 and 2015-2016), respectively. The students in the wiki group attended face-to-face lectures and used a wiki (PBworks) weekly for online- group discussion, and the students in the control group had no access to the wiki and interacted face-to-face only. The students' collaborative learning, approaches to learning, and course performance were evaluated using the Group Process Questionnaire (GPQ), Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) and course results, respectively, after testing. Findings: Multivariate analysis of variance results revealed that the R-SPQ-2F surface apCproach score, surface motive and strategy subscores were lower in the wiki group than in the control group (p < 0.05). The GPQ individual accountability and equal opportunity scores (components of collaboration) were higher in the wiki group than in the control group (p < 0.001). No significant between-groups differences were found in any of the other outcome variables (i.e., over-all course result, R-SPQ-2F deep approach score and subscores, GPQ positive interdependence score, social skills score, and composite score). Looking at the Wiki Questionnaire results, the subscale and composite scores we obtained were 31.5% to 37.7% lower than the norm. The wiki was used at a frequency of about 0.7 times per week per student. Recommendations for Practitioners: Using wiki technology in conjunction with the traditional face-to-face teaching method in a biostatistics course can enhance some aspects of undergraduate students' collaborative learning (individual accountability and equal participation opportunity) and approaches to learning (with less surface learning). However, use of a wiki does not improve course performance.
Descriptors: Educational Technology, Collaborative Writing, Undergraduate Study, Statistics, Longitudinal Studies, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, Teaching Methods, Technology Uses in Education, Web Sites, Web 2.0 Technologies, Cooperative Learning, College Students, Learning Strategies, Questionnaires, Statistical Analysis, Comparative Analysis, Accountability, Scores, Conventional Instruction, Social Media, Foreign Countries
Informing Science Institute. 131 Brookhill Court, Santa Rosa, CA 95409. Tel: 707-531-4925; Fax: 480-247-5724; e-mail: contactus@informingscience.org; Web site: http://www.informingscience.org/Journals/JITEResearch/Overview
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Hong Kong
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Study Process Questionnaire
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A