Abstract
Educating learners is a challenging task for academics. Many challenges arise because of the unique learning preferences of today’s learners, known as the Net Generation, who have grown up with technology. For academic communities, these students provide an opportunity for Faculties to adapt and enhance the learning process. This paper explores the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies at an undergraduate level for an introductory business-driven technology course. These Web 2.0 technologies were selected specifically for their collaborative nature and ability to support large numbers of students. This paper summarises the experiences of undergraduate students in the context of group work and social networking within a computer supported collaborative learning environment. The findings are based on a questionnaire, completed by 890 first year students of their experiences. Through this questionnaire, the authors determine whether the students found the introduction of new learning and teaching tools to be effective. The findings of this paper indicate that group work can be significantly enhanced through the use of Web 2.0 technologies and social networks.
Highlights
Educating learners is a challenging task for academics
This paper explores the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies at an undergraduate level for an introductory business-driven technology course
This paper summarises the experiences of undergraduate students in the context of group work and social networking within a computer supported collaborative learning environment
Summary
“We are entering a world in which we all will have to acquire new knowledge and skills on an almost continuous basis.” (Brown & Adler, 2008). International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy, 3(3), 10-24, July-September 2012 11 has specific application potential for learners of the Net Generation who have a preference for group work and peer-to-peer learning. These students have an affinity and aptitude for a variety of information technologies, especially social software such as social networks. The authors selected a social networking tool, Facebook, in an attempt to determine whether it could be effectively used for collaborative learning at an undergraduate level. A spokesman for Facebook expressed his contradicting view on this matter by stating that the use of Facebook during class is not very different from using other technological tools (Bugeja, 2006)
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