JOURNAL OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN WEB INTELLIGENCE, VOL. 1, NO. 1, AUGUST 2009 97 Wiki and Threaded Discussion for Online Collaborative Activities: Students’ Perceptions and Use Andri Ioannou Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA Email:
[email protected] Anthony R. Artino, Jr. Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, USA Email:
[email protected] Abstract—Investigating the affordances of different web particular emphasis on students’ perceptions and use of technologies to support online collaborative learning (CL) wikis compared to TD tools. has implications for future research and practice in online In addition to a TD forum, we used a wiki tool to education. In addition to a threaded discussion (TD)—the support student collaboration in an online learning predominant tool used to promote online collaboration theories course. Students worked on two different group today—we used a wiki with 15 graduate students in an online course. Students worked on two different group activities, first using TD and then using wiki. The activities, first using the TD and then using the wiki. We purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to assess students’ investigated students’ attitudes about their CL experience, attitudes about their CL experience after using the wiki as well as differences in their CL processes, after using each and TD, and (b) to investigate differences in CL technology. Our findings suggest that there are clear processes evident in the wiki as compared to the TD benefits and limitations inherent to both technologies. The environment. TD tool was preferred, yet students recognized the potential of the wiki to support collaboration.