Analyzing technology-enhanced knowledge practices in an engineering course

The role of educational technology on facilitating advancement of knowledge was investigated in a term project "Multimedia Product" in the Metropolia (former EVTEK) University of Applied Sciences. The purpose of the study was to investigate how the technology under investigation -- Knowledge Practices Environment (KPE) -- facilitates working collaboratively with shared knowledge objects. It appears that students used KPE mostly for managing and sharing project documentation; and that task was usually delegated to one team member. Students found that organizing items in the content view helped them to get an overview of the tasks, knowledge objects and their interrelationships. On the other hand, the flexibility of the KPE, especially the possibility for all team members to edit and change anything openly might also be a challenge; it requires systematic organization of materials. More research is needed before KPE's potentials and pitfalls in shared knowledge advancement can be reliably assessed.