In this update i would like to reflect on how collective intelligence is a part of group based project work at Roskilde University in Denmark, and how Google Drive functions as an important tool for collaborative research and writing. I have completed my MA-degree from Roskilde University, and with that i have several years of experience in doing collaborative academic work

Roskilde university (also known by the abbreviation RUC).

Founded on ideas of progressive education and progressive problembased research, every educational activity at Roskilde University is based upon the collaborative group as the key unit of student parcitipation. Groups consists of two or more students, usually around 4. Under the supervision of one the university's researchers, the group work together on a common academic project, usually resulting in an extensive academic report that is handed in at the end of each semester. The report is the result of intense collaboration over several months, and seldom shorter than 70 pages. Following the submission of the report, the students attend an oral examination. The examination is also a collaborative effort. Every group member participates in the examination, that has form as a dialogue between the assesing professors and the group of students. Given that each student is required to have at least 30 minutes of examination time, group exams can last up to several hours, resulting in deep and thorough discussions of the submitted academic project. 

For more information about Roskilde University please refer to the following video:

Google Drive in Group Projects

In the following videos the google drive platform is introduced in relation to group and collaborative work in education:

Benefits of using google drive in group projects at RUC​

​In each project i have done at RUC the tools provided in Google Drive have been central to collaborative effort developing, writing and curating the academic report that concludes each semester. The students of the project group share a folder which contains all the information and data produced in the research project. A project usually has three phases: development, data collection and the writing phase. As the semester moves along the workload on the group intensifies, the data in the Drive grows and the way Google Drive is used changes. 

1. Development phase

In the beginning of a project the group are developing a thesis, and in this phase Google Drive functions as a collective database as each student uploads articles and other litterature on the chosen subject. The group usually meet once or twice a week where they discuss the collected litterature, and begin writing the first chapters of the report. At each meeting the group types up a report with key points from the meeting, and all through the projects these reports functions as a collective memorybank, that drives the project forward. Important decisions are described, new ideas are formulated and so forth. 

2. Data collection and analysis

In this phase the group works at collecting empirical data according to their developed thesis. Depending on the field of science that the group works within such data takes on different shapes and forms. Quantitative data can be plotted into Google Drives "Sheets" application, and later exported into other data management apps. Qualitative data, usually audio or video recordings, can be uploaded onto the Drive, and later be transcribed in the "Docs" app. Uploading the empirical data onto a shared Drive makes it available at any time to all the participants of the group, and easy comment functions makes the analysis of the data a deeply collaborative effort.

3. The intensive writing phase

​Even though most projects are written all through out the semester, every project have an intensive phase close to deadline. Students work closely together day and night, and sometimes sleeps at the campus to be finished in time. In this phase chapters written in seperate documents are combined into a master file, that in the end will contain the entire report. In the last stages the document is proof read by several students at the same time, allowing for a easy and quick editing of the entire project. 

The project document and Google Drive folder as a collective knowledge bank

After the project is finished and the exams are well over, each of the students have acces to the Google Drive folders. In this way the collected knowledge is always available, and functions as a great inspiration for new projects. I have personally used my Google Drive projects when i apply for jobs, using the academic reports and collected research articles to qualify my cover letter text and even metioned that i have done the projects in my resume.