Incorporating Wiki technology to facilitate BSc (Exercise and Health) students' collaborative learning in a traditional research method and statistics course

Abstract

curriculum and are essential for performing health sciences research. It seems that integration of computer technologies with traditional teaching method may enhance teaching of statistics and students’ collaborative learning. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between the use of Wiki technology and the quality of group work and collaboration among BSc (Exercise and Health) students who enrolled in a traditional research method and statistics course. Method: Twenty-one BSc (Exercise and Health) students (13 males and 8 females) enrolled in the undergraduate course - Research Design and Analysis for Exercise and Health - participated in the study. They attended a face-to-face lecture weekly and participated in a Wiki-based online discussion bi-weekly to co-construct knowledge. At the end of the course (13 weeks), students’ perception of Wiki technology was assessed using the Wiki questionnaire (WikiQ) and the quality of group work and collaboration among group members were evaluated using the Group Process Questionnaire (GPQ). Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was used to examine the bivariate association of WikiQ score with GPQ score. In addition, interviews were conducted at the end of the course to solicit students’ feedbacks on their learning experiences and perceptions on the use of Wiki. Findings: There was a good and positive correlation between the WikiQ score and the GPQ score (r=0.658, p=0.001). Those students who liked Wiki tended to have a higher quality of group work and collaboration among their peers. Regarding the interviews, feedbacks were also positive. For example, “Wiki is a good platform to interact with other classmates.” Conclusion: Wiki technology may be useful in enhancing BSc (Exercise and Health) students’ collaborative learning and group work in research method and statistics course.