Learning to Collaborate and Collaborating to Learn: An Experiential Approach to Teaching Collaborative Systems

This paper describes the use of experiential learning theory in the development of an undergraduate subject in collaborative systems. The purpose of the subject was to introduce students to the design, development and use of collaborative systems in organizational environments. Early in the subject’s development it was decided that in order for students to gain a deeper understanding of the issues involved in the development of collaborative systems, they should collaborate using an e-learning system so that they could experience these problems first hand. The paper provides an overview of the subject structure, the views of students with regard to the learning approach and some of the outcomes that were observed. The findings revealed that the experiential approach was successful in providing students with a good understanding of the issues associated with the design and use of collaborative systems. However, while many achieved deeper learning outcomes than would normally be provided by a traditional didactic approach, there were students who failed to achieve the desired learning levels. The findings not only provide support for Perry’s model of intellectual development and the value of setting unstructured problems, but also demonstrate the need for structure in early experiential events to which students are exposed.