This paper presents an account of preliminary research into strategies, especially in the area
of communication methods and technologies, adopted by students undertaking group projects
within the Computing and Technology disciplines.
The research forms part of a five-year study of the types of support students want and find
useful in an innovative curriculum. The study is being carried out by the Centre for Excellence
in Teaching and Learning - Active Learning in Computing (CETL ALiC), a collaboration
between the Universities of Durham, Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan and Newcastle, whose primary
focus is on active learning through group- and project-based work.
Initial findings indicate that students adopt communication strategies that are easily and readily
available with which they are most familiar. The choice of strategy appears to be unaffected
by the presence within the group of students with identified Special Needs.