2. Collaboration tools
- Discussion tools
- Messaging platforms
- Collaborative documents
- Online meetings and videoconferencing
- Tools to schedule team meetings
- Tools for team tasks
There are many great online tools that can help you collaborate on assignments and projects.
Check the privacy settings of any tool that you use so that you limit the availability of your data. Try to lock access so that only your group can see any activity.
Email is the most common form of communication used at university and in the workplace.
Use your UQ email for any collaboration you do as part of your university program. This includes emails sent to your university peers, professors, and staff members. More information on writing professional emails is addressed later in this module.
The Use UQ Systems module has information about your student email.
Discussion tools
Several university courses use discussion boards to allow students to collaborate with other students and staff members by posting or answering questions. This is a form of active learning that allows students to learn from different perspectives.
| Platform | Useful features | Help and tutorials | Cost for UQ students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Discussion Board | File sharing, able to create categories for different discussion threads | Ed Discussion Board Quick Start Guide |  Use for free at UQ |
| Learn.UQ (BlackBoard) Discussion Board | Discussion threads, file sharing. Only instructors can set up group discussions | Using the BlackBoard Discussion Board | Use for free at UQ |
| Microsoft Teams | Co-author documents, utilise apps, have both individual and group chats, schedule meetings, as well as use audio or video communication features | Microsoft Teams (Ultra Student) | Use for free at UQ
|
| Padlet | File sharing, App for mobile devices, can be used as part of a live discussion | Padlet via UQ | Use for free at UQ |
Messaging platforms
Instant messaging platforms facilitate quick and effective communication between members. Some platforms allow you to share and store files so that you can refer to them at any time.
| Platform | Useful features | Help and tutorials | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams | Secure; searchable message archives; configure notification, integrates with the Microsoft suite. | Get started with Microsoft Teams | Free for UQ students as part of Microsoft 365 |
| Discord | Discord is a social communication platform that allows users to create channels and connect through text, voice, and video. | What is Discord and How to Use it (YouTube 12m30s) |  Basic functionality is free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
| Slack | Integrates with Google Drive and many other apps; searchable message archives; configure notifications. | Getting started with Slack | Basic functionality is free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
| Messenger | Searchable message archives; configure notifications, available as a desktop app. | How to start a group chat on Messenger | Free |
| Searchable message archives; configure notifications, available as a desktop app. | Get started with WhatsApp | Free |
|
| The WeChat Chatterbox Blog outlines products and features. | About WeChat | Free |
Collaborative documents
Collaborative documents allow multiple members to work simultaneously on a single document. This facilitates easy brainstorming sessions and an easy division of work as the document gets updated in real-time and provides details on the collaborator.
| Platform | Simultaneous editing | File storage | Export function | Help and tutorials | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One Drive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint | Yes | Yes | Yes | Microsoft Office Help and Training | Free for UQ students as part of Microsoft 365 |
| Google Drive - Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc | Yes | Yes | Yes | Get started with Google Drive | Basic functionality for free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
| Canva | Yes | Yes | Yes | Canva essentials | Basic functionality for free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
Online meetings and videoconferencing
Virtual work meetings have become the new norm in a post-COVID world. At UQ, Zoom is the main platform used to deliver online sessions.
| Platform | Useful features | Tutorials and help | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Teams | App for mobile devices, file sharing, screensharing and chat function, whiteboard tools. | Get started with Microsoft Teams | Free for UQ students as part of Microsoft 365 |
| Zoom | App for mobile devices, file sharing, screensharing and chat function, whiteboard tools. | Getting started with Zoom | Free account available via UQ |
| Google Meet | File sharing, screensharing and chat function. | Google Meet training and help | Basic functionality is free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
Tools to schedule team meetings
It can be tricky to find a common time to have your team meetings. Here are some tools that can help you schedule a team meeting at a convenient time for all team members.
| Tools | Useful features | Tutorials and help | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| When2meet | Add in preferred time slots into the calendar | About When2meet | Free |
| Doodle Poll | Group polling to assess availability | How to create and manage a group poll without a Doodle account | Basic functionality for free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
| Calendly | Interactive customised calendar, send calendar links to people you need to meet with, preferred time polling for scheduling group meetings | How does Calendly work? | Basic functionality for free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
Tools for team tasks
These tools can help you perform group tasks.
| Tool | Purpose | Useful features | Tutorials and help | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trello | Project organisation | Upload files, link to Google Drive, create checklists, track team progress | Getting started with Trello | Basic functionality for free. Additional features may need to be paid for. |
| Tricider | For easy group decision making | Ask a question, ask others to submit their ideas and then vote on responses. Takes away the need for back-and-forth discussion via messaging or meeting up. Can be anonymous | Online voting and decision making demo (YouTube, 1m27s) | Free |
| Reasons.io | For argument mapping | Create, edit, share, and export argument maps. Register to save maps and share the link with your group | Getting started with Reasons.io | Free |
Find more project and organisational tools in the Choose the right tool module.
