Web Based Collaboration (for Free) Using Wikis in Design Studios

This paper presents a case study of the use of Wikis by students in a landscape architecture design studio to evaluate the suitability of Wikis for enhancing student collaboration in the site analysis and preliminary design stage of a project. It was anticipated that using Wikis to facilitate collaboration would provide alternatives to conventional peer to peer collaboration. In addition, Wikis could enhance feedback between the course coordinator and students. The Wiki was used to collect, compile and present data for the purpose of a precedent study of cultural and physical analysis of a site in New Zealand, for which the technology proved successful. The Wiki was less successful in contributing to the collaborative preliminary design of the project. The following discussion and presentation will include the evaluation of online Wiki services, the process used in the design studio, strengths and weaknesses observed, and opportunities for future research.