Hi
SAP has recently released their online collaboration tool, Streamworks http://www.sapstreamwork.com/
This tool is relatively free. Each student is allowed to create in total at any one time five activities and load a maximum of 250mb of data. If they close an activity then they are allowed to create another. They can invite as many other students as they want to participate in their activity.
An activity could be one of the following:
- Blank Activity
Nothing Included - Basic Prioritization Activity
Define goals/objectives, rank them, and capture the final outcome - Basic Project Planning Activity
Define a timeline, project objectives and goals - Decision Activity - Full
Define a situation, Define options, Gather consensus, Define a final decision, Obtain sign off - Decision Activity - Basic (Default Template)
Define a situation, Define a final decision, Obtain sign off - Discussion Activity
Define a topic for discussion, build a threaded discussion - Meeting Activity
Arrange a meeting, record notes, and capture Decisions, Action Items and Next Steps - Research Activity
Define a research topic, collect relevant artifacts
Once an activity is created then the necessary supporting documents can be loaded. You also have a range of tools that can be added to the activity including; agendas, rankings, discussions, SWOT analysis, time management, timeline, voting, and analysis. Participants are then invited.
As changes are made to the activity by the participants then the other participants are notified. We have started using Streamworks in the classroom environment for SWOT analysis, threaded discussion groups and voting. We are encouraging students to use the tool for their group projects.
To assist students with understanding Streamworks a number of short YouTube tutorials have been created. Here is a link to an overview video of the solution http://www.youtube.com/sapstreamwork
This tool is worth having a look at.
Good Luck
Paul Hawking
SAP Academic Program Director
Victoria University