Online project collaboration

… we still have a long way to go

Abstract

This paper presents the challenges involved for team members working on a research project from three different universities located in Melbourne and Brisbane. An advisory university was located overseas in Surrey, England. A variety of computer mediated technologies were used for online collaborations and discussions such as Skype, Elluminate Live!, Carrick Exchange and an Access Grid. Team communication also included email, phone and teleconferencing. The research software used to collect and collate qualitative and quantitative data were NVivo, Opinio and Excel. This paper discusses the complexities involved in online team collaborations and the extent to which technology was able to overcome the ‘tyranny of distance’ to facilitate discussions, examine information and advance investigations.