Collaborative learning tools as part of an open architecture

Abstract

In order to build a virtual university, one of the purposes of the Campus Global project at PUCRS is to study and develop tools for distance learning environments. This paper presents the development of two of these tools, namely the whiteboard and chat tools. They are designed to fit the specifications of the open architecture proposed in the project, developed as independent modules. The entire system was developed in the Java language, thus providing excellent portability.