Gruppenarbeit mit Wikis – Hausaufgabenbearbeitung im Propädeutikum des Modellstudiengangs Medizin an der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover / Group work with wikis – homework in the first academic year in medicine at the Hannover Medical School

With wikis, an easy to use working environment for collaborative writing can be designed. This paper describes the experience of using wikis for collaborative home work during the first academic year of medicine. The evaluation shows that a wiki in fact is simple to use, but additional support for interpersonal cooperation is necessary in order to organise the collaborative group work in a satisfactory way for all participants. The concerns expressed by the students as well as the discussions among experts seem to necessitate an increased use of so called social software technologies in teaching. This way, the students can gain experiences and social skills that are essential in the long run.