Case+1

=__Case Title: Learners' attitudes to wiki technology in problem based, blended learning for vocational teacher education__= This journal reports on the results of a post-course survey of vocational teachers participating in a teacher training program that used a wiki to support problem based, and group based learning and assessment in a blended learning approach (wiki plus face to face contact) in a teacher education program at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia (Robertson, 2008). The course was called //Facilitating Learning in the Workplace// and was conducted over 13 weeks at the University and aimed to see how participants felt about using wikis in the workplace for many different applications. Learners participate in eight face to face sessions that "aim to provide exposure to a range of theories, models and discussions about workplace learning" (Robertson, 2008). The remaining five sessions involve the completion and presentation of a problem based and group based case study that incorporates the use of a wiki. These five sessions involved professional development in the use of the wiki.
 * Case Description:**

20 Students are split up into groups of 4-5 in which people who work for the same company are split into different groups. At least one group participant has had prior experience with teaching in a workplace setting. "Groups were established in an attempt to create safe environments with a diversity of participants such that ideas and practical examples could be exchanged in the development of a staff training plan" (Robertson, 2008). A wiki "shell" was set up for each group in an effort to help with the development of the training plan. Pictures of these pages were included in this journal article. An induction session that provides learners with a briefing on how the groups might operate, and, access and use of the wiki is conducted at the commencement of the case study. Contributions and editing of the wiki should be done either once the meeting is completed or outside of scheduled class time (Robertson, 2008).

At the end of this course a survey was sent out to 20 potential respondents. A total of 14 completed surveys were returned. There were eight males and six females, ages 20-50+, with 11 employed as teachers. Half expressed their technical skill level to be intermediate, with five listing experienced and two listing beginning. "Overall, those respondents who self reported their technical skill level as intermediate or experienced had little difficulty in either accessing or using the wiki" (Robertson, 2008). There is overwhelming support for the flexibility that the wiki provided in allowing learners to access and use the software at a time and place that best suited them. Eight respondents indicate that wikis have potential in their own teaching.

As learners, the participants in this study found wikis easy to access and for most people easy to use. They value the flexibility that wikis provide in terms of access, content development and editing, appreciate a single central document for group work and the replacement of hard copy with electronic submission (Robertson, 2008). The group of respondents agreed overwhelmingly that the use of wikis should be continued in their graduate school work. The report shows that having a teacher in the group is valuable to the success of the wiki implementation. It is an important part of using a group dynamic because the teacher can help those who are not as competent in technology to add their opinions and feel comfortable using the wiki.

The findings of this study show that the use of the wiki in //Facilitating Learning in the Workplace// has provided participants with the opportunity to develop an awareness of the potential of the technology (Robertson, 2008). The study seems to show that wikis may provide an advantage over current practices in group based activities. Professional development, done in the eight face to face sessions, in the use of wikis was a key factor to success. The use of a wiki for group based activities seems to be supported with this study of teachers in a graduate setting and so one could assume that using a wiki in the K-12 environment would have equal or greater success with the technology proficiency skills of the younger generation.

This case study proves useful for the teaching profession since the class has a direct correlation to teaching, because teachers enrolled in the class worked with the new technology (wikis) that would assist them in their teaching workplace. Since all of the students enrolled in the class were not teachers, it was helpful to have input from those that were actually in the work environment to enlighten other students to the usefulness of the wiki in other environments. The fact that the wiki shell was created for the participants was a definite strength because it allowed them something to follow. One weakness was that the end survey was conducted by mail. The results could have been more accurate if the partipants had been asked to fill out the survey before leaving the last class in order to get more people to complete it. Our group thinks it would be helpful to know exactly what types of problems arose during the course to make a future course better and then to do an additional follow-up survey to see who uses the wikis in a real world setting after the course has ended.
 * Case evaluation:**


 * References:** Robertson, I. (2008). Learners' attitudes to wiki technology in problem based, blended learning for vocational teacher education. //Austrailian Journal of Educational Technology//, //24//(4), 425-441.