On blended collaborative learning, a case study: A project on raising awareness regarding GMOs

Abstract This paper investigates the use of web 2.0 and mobile technologies in the development of a collaborative project assigned to a mixed group of students in Biology, Communication Sciences, and Economics. Experiment Design. The project aims to provide two materials to be used in raising awareness on the genetically modified organisms (GMOs), as an application related to the discipline “Vegetal biotechnology”. Two teams, comprised mainly of students in the third year of study in Biology, have been completed with colleagues who provided skills in information management and economic issues. The teams worked during and between two face-to-face sessions, having the full scope to choose the tools, the content, and the format of the output materials. Findings and Results. The deliverables of the students brought together accurate information in various formats, in frameworks with high potential to impact the perceiver. The experiment created the environment which allowed us to observe the skills that students prove with respect to the use of mobile devices and web 2.0 technologies. Conclusions. The considered case proved once more that these tools may be involved in everyday educational process, making it flexible and challenging.