FROM PERIPHERY TO PARTICIPATION: EXAMINING POST- SECONDARY STUDENTS’ ONLINE COMMUNICATION IN A COLLABORATIVE WRITING PROJECT USING WIKIS

Nargis Abraham, PhD, Program Head, Professional English Language Development, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canada; Valia Spiliotopoulos, PhD, Associate Director, Learning and Teaching Centre, University of Victoria, Canada

Language and cultural barriers can play a role in inhibiting students who are non-native speakers of English from integrating into the university community, thereby delaying their transition from new arrivals to fully participating citizens. As such, an innovative approach to encouraging student collaboration and communication and developing intercultural competence was implemented in a first-year Communication course at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Canada, where student teams used a wiki and online forum to write reports collaboratively. This study explores the relationship between students’ online participation using the wiki and online forum, and their communication skills and intercultural competence.