Collaborative learning isn’t new, but technology is giving it a new spin and is making it easier to exchange ideas and complete group projects—regardless of where students or instructors happen to be.
Duke University is working with Cisco Systems to pilot a cloud-based social collaboration tool, called WebEx Social for Higher Education, that is geared toward the needs of higher education in particular. Students in an MBA program at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, along with business school students in other countries around the world, have used the tool to work online asynchronously while being able to track and participate in what other students are working on.
The students worked together to create and edit videos that shared their experience in other countries and other cultures. They could comment on the videos and other course materials, share their expertise on different topics, and engage in other “standard social networking” activities, says Tracy Futhey, vice president for information technology and chief information officer at Duke.…Read More
