Team project work for distance learners in engineering – challenges and benefits

Team Engineering (first presented in autumn 2006) was the first course (module) at the Open University (OU) to use wikis and video-conferencing in combination to support the work of project teams. Teams of five students, working remotely from one another, tackle an engineering project over 32 weeks. The teams schedule regular meetings throughout the project and these are conducted using FlashMeeting, a lightweight video-conferencing system being developed by the OU's Knowledge Media Institute, KMi (http://flashmeeting.open.ac.uk). Unlike other systems, FlashMeeting requires no software installation. In addition, it not only archives the meetings but also provides detailed analysis of the proceedings. The teams are encouraged to use the wiki facility in the OU's virtual learning environment (VLE) for their collaborative report-writing. The collective work of the team is assessed through these reports. The performance of the individual is assessed through their reflective account of the project. The archiving facility in FlashMeeting has been of huge help in developing this. For the next presentation of the course a learning journal is to be added to the existing means of support. Feedback from tutors and students alike has been extremely positive, whilst recognising the limitations of the technologies in their current implementations. This paper gives an account of the students' achievements and offers an assessment of the pedagogic potential of using these media together

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is a summer-growing annual of the genus Curcurbita and the family Curcurbitaceae, which also includes gourds. This publication provides general instruction for planting, cultivation, harvesting, storage, nutrition, and use

Summer Squash

Curcurbita pepo are warm-season plants with many varieties. This publication describes the three main types and provides general instruction for planting, cultivation, harvesting, and storage

Winter Squash

A summer-growing annual vegetable within the genus Cucurbita, winter squash is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage, when the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind. This publication provides general instruction for planting, cultivation, harvesting, storage, and nutrition

Spinach

Spinacia oleracea is an edible flowering plant, a hardy annual in the family Chenopodiaceae. This publication describes the types of regular spinach and provides general instruction for planting, cultivation, harvesting, storage, nutrition, and use

Broccoli

Broccoli is a plant of the cabbage family Brassicaceae (formerly Cruciferae), classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. This publication describes the four types of broccoli with instructions for planting, cultivation, harvesting, storage, and use

Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas belongs to the family Convolvulaceae with two types of cultivars produced in the United States. This publication describes the general history of the sweet potato and provides general instruction for planting, cultivation, harvesting, and storage

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A hardy biennial in the amaranth family, Beta vulgaris is treated as an annual. This publication describes the plant with instructions for planting, cultivation, harvesting, storage, and use

Swiss Chard

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