Thomas, P. et al. (2008) ‘Wikis supporting authentic, collaborative activities: lessons from distance education’ in Whitton, N., and McPherson, M. (Eds) Rethinking the digital divide Research Proceedings of the 15th Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C 2008). Held 9–11 September 2008, University of Leeds, England, UK.
This paper examines the effect of the wikis’ functionality on the students’ use of the tool in an Open University (UK) course, and the consequences for the students’ engagement with the activities and learning opportunities. This is a relatively large scale study involving 56 wikis produced by over 250 students.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
