Social networking and science teaching: The MIT-UPV case

ldquoMIT-UPV Exchangerdquo is a Web-based co-operative learning project between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA and the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (UPV) in Spain which has been under way since the year 2000. Its aim is to bring together technology students in Valencia (Spain) and their counterparts in Boston (USA) via a jointly developed interactive Web site. This Web site is an open platform that allows registered students to interact, building a technological social network not only by using text-based messages (including a built-in chat facility), but also by uploading and downloading multimedia files, i.e. videos and graphics created by the students. The contents of the Web site are updated in real time and are fully developed and controlled by the participating students, so as to reflect their interests, views and other cultural and social components. This paper first describes the rationale, main objectives and features of the project. Secondly, the experience is analysed by taking into account some key pedagogical issues together with lessons learnt from its first two years of history, mainly through feedback from the participants (questionnaires, interviews etc.). One of the original objectives of the project, namely the development of an ideal university model constructed by the students themselves, is then assessed. The study finally draws conclusions which can model future prospects for this and similar projects.