Online and Collaborative Tools During Academic and Erasmus Studies

Abstract

Part of the students’ academic path is the elaboration, construction and presentation of works where there is an interaction between various elements of a group. It is common, in many countries, for students to actively participate in groups, either between classmates or even from another country, with the aim of designing, creating and presenting tasks, where information should be viewed and changed by all group members, if possible, simultaneously. A few years ago, in order to be able to carry out this kind of academic group work, it was necessary to synchronize times, days and places with the group members so that the work meeting could take place. Now, this interaction is virtually possible, first with chats, videoconferences and a variety of virtual tools and their many possibilities. This chapter starts from a literature review on studies with online collaborative work platforms to analyze, through testimonials from higher education students, if online collaborative work tools have been an asset for students during their academic career, including participation in the Erasmus Program in different countries. It was found that university students find these tools useful, despite the fact that the uses do not have the support or guidance of their educational institutions and are not accompanied by an in-depth study of these tools, which have caused problematic situations that could have been avoided.