Wiki Instruction
Wikipedia: http://wikipedia.org
Wikis
A wiki is:
software that allows registered users or anyone to collaborate on a website's content. A wiki website, most commonly referred to as simply wiki, allows users to create, edit, organize, and link site content. The first wiki, WikiWikiWeb, was created by Ward Cunningham in 1994. The most well-known wiki is Wikipedia, the online user-created encyclopedia. Wikipedia reflects the philosophy that a community of site contributors and users will collectively ensure site accuracy.
Instructional Uses
As a collaborative tool: wikis allow students to group author projects and papers, allow students to peer edit and review documents, and promotes proofing skills with close reading, tracking, and revisions of drafts.
As a participation tool: wikis are an inexpensive collaboration and communication tool that promotes participation between students and students and the instructor.
As an assessment tool: wikis allow the instructor to track changes to student or group documents and are a useful tool for collecting assignments from groups of students.
Instructional Benefits
Promotes evaluating, synthesizing, elaborating, analyzing, problem solving, decision making, knowledge base construction, argumentation/justification, and learning communities.
Examples
- Arts Entrepreneurship (Wake Forest University)
- Social Stratification in the Deep South (Wake Forest University)
- Biology Microscopy Facility
How to Get Started
The Instructional Technology Group has a wiki and blog server available for use by faculty and academic departments. A blog or wiki should be requested far enough in advance to allow for a quick training session for students. This will save time when course work is due. To request a blog or wiki for your course or department, please contact your departmental ITG.