Semantic Wiki: A Tool for Collaborative Learning Environment in Computer Engineering Education

Abstract

Computer engineering education encourages students to enhance their communication skills, critical thinking, analysis capabilities and abilities with group working. A successful way of improving student abilities is to organize them in work teams for specific tasks. These specific tasks play an important role for computer engineering students to gain habit of working together during all stages of a project development. Active learning methods can be used in the development of fundamental student qualifications. Collaborative learning methods such as project oriented learning and problem based learning are beneficial techniques to accomplish powerful active learning to promote engineering student's creative and critical thinking. In recent years, web-based collaborative learning strategies have emerged with the growing usage of Web 2.0 based internet technologies which allow web users to create and exchange information actively. One of the most popular tools is the Media Wiki platform used for collaboration among students in web-based education. This Wiki tool creates new opportunities for students to edit learning resources and to share, create, discuss or to modify their projects together. Wikis are mature technology constructed with new trends in e-learning education such as discussion pages and history pages. On the other hand, Semantic Wiki that is a combination of Wiki and Semantic Web (Web 3.0) technology has not completely explored yet. Semantic Wiki enables users more advanced searching and navigation facilities by using annotations of course materials. In this paper, we introduce the opportunities of Media Wiki and Semantic Wiki platforms for collaborative computer engineering education.