The Web as Process Tool and Product Environment for Group-Based Project Work in Higher Education.

Two technical courses at the University of Twente (Netherlands) in which course-specific World Wide Web environments are used both as tools for group-process support and as the product environment of the project work are described.

Abstract

This paper discusses problems confronting the use of group-based project work as an instructional strategy in higher education, and describes two technical courses (i.e., courses in online learning and applications of business information technology) at the University of Twente (Netherlands) in which course-specific World Wide Web environments are used both as tools for group-process support and as the product environment of the project work. The focus is on Web-embedded shared workspace, communication management, evaluation tools, and their contribution to the management of group-based project work. It is argued the both pedagogical and technical strategies are needed for efficient and effective support of group-based project work in higher education. A table highlights particular strengths of the courses in relation to persistent problems in the educational deployment of group-based project work.