Managing telecollaboration among engineering studentsand faculty: a case study from two spanish universities

In today’s globalized world, it seems important that students can telecollaborate in a team by making effective use ofinformation and communication technologies. This collaboration format can positively influence their academicperformance, enhance engineering student interest in the subject, and improve skills such as communication andteamwork. In this work a collaboration model between engineering students, and also between instructors, from twodistant traditional universities is presented and analyzed. Potentialities, challenges and key elements for a viable experienceare identified, that would be capable of achieving the proposed objectives, and sustainable over time. Considering theseactivities as projects, instructors are actively involved in the initiation, planning, monitoring and controlling, and closing ofthese activities. On the other hand, students are those who must perform scheduled tasks. This article identifies thedifficulties and potentials for each of these roles.