Using Wikis in Computer Science Engineering

Abstract

This work describes how to implement a collaborative activity in a last year course in Computer Science Engineering. A wiki engine is used both by the students to carry out the work, and by the lecturer to evaluate the students’ work. First of all, we present the context in which the activity is implemented: the class, students’ profile, available means and time, etc. Related to this context, we briefly describe some complementary activities that are run during the course, helping to reach the adequate atmosphere for the wiki-based collaborative activity. We have identified some aspects of the organization of the activity that heavily influence the appropriate development of the activity. We present our conclusions after analyzing the problems found during the last years, the solutions we adopted and the final results. It is important to remark the importance of the interaction of the lecturer with his students during the whole development process of the activity. Such interaction is crucial for getting a high quality work.