Crowd Sourcing the Classroom: Interactive Applications in Higher Learning

Publication
In Proceedings of the 4th Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN 2012).

Abstract

The traditional university classroom paradigm frequently leads to fragmented knowledge dispersal; each student creates, collates, and curates their own notes individually. Here, we present a more holistic approach to student participation, based on experience from a student-initiated experiment using interactive applications in higher education.

We explore several methods to help university students work collaboratively: Simultaneous note-taking using an online, interactive notepad; centralised information storage using a dedicated wiki; student-run centralised storage in the cloud; and communication management using a dedicated email list.

In this paper, we elaborate on these points, and draw upon relevant previous literature, as well as our experience with implementing this system in several classes with diverse subjects in a graduate level Computational Linguistics degree. We also suggest future avenues to explore, such as slide-and-note integration.