In Plain English

Watch this short video for a simple explaination...

The word “wiki” is not an acronym but rather (according to Ward Cunningham, currently at Microsoft Corporation, who coined the term) “a [Hawaiian word] used as an alliterative substitute for quick, to avoid naming this [software] quick-Web.” The name has now entered the Internet lexicon, along with other Web-based terms such as blogs and podcasts.¹

To begin, let us discuss wiki as a process, not a product. This includes Wikipedia, which has been much maligned in some circles of higher ed. When viewed as a process Wikipedia can be a powerful tool in the classroom to teach critical thinking, writing, research, plagiarism and copyright. The Educause 7 things you should know about Wikipedia (pdf) will give insight on the pros and cons of using Wikipedia in the classroom.

According to The Wiki Way, “‘[O]pen editing’ has some profound and subtle effects on the wiki’s usage. Allowing everyday users to create and edit any page in a Web site ...encourages democratic use of the Web and promotes content composition by nontechnical users.”² In addition, changes made - and by whom - are visible to other users. In this way wikis support knowledge creation and foster group collaboration.

Wikis for research and collaboration

The RUBRIC Project (Regional Universities Building Research Infrastructure Collaboratively) is an example of a large-scale, multi institutional initiative that used a wiki to aid in their collaboration. This project is the subject of the Educause Research bulletin Supporting Knowledge Creation: Using Wikis for Group Collaboration. (pdf)

Wikis in the classroom

An example assignment using Wikipedia is to have students critique an entry that the instructor has found to contain errors or omissions. Students are then directed to correct the entry. In this one lesson they learn to use critical thinking to evaluate what they find online, research and write up an article for publication, peer review the work. Now a once shunned resource has been turned into a valuable teaching moment.

If your students are more advanced in their studies, they may be asked find a topic not covered in Wikipedia and then research and contribute to the new content. Wikis in Education hosts a web site with additional ideas on using wikis in education.

In this video, Dr. Richie Platt explains how he used a wiki in his course.

You can also set up wikis for your class using a variety of free (or open source) wiki tools that are available to educators. ATC recommends WetPaint. Watch the video on their home page to see how easy a wiki can be to set up.

NOTE:. Due to FERPA regulations governing privacy, you cannot grade or post a comment regarding a student's work on the wiki itself. This would be tantamount to leaving graded papers in a public area for students to pick up.

¹ 7 things you should know about Wikipedia, Educause ELI, July 2006.

² B. Leuf and W. Cunningham, The Wiki Way: Quick Collaboration on
the Web, Addison-Wesley: Boston, 2001, p. 15. quoted in 7 things you should know about Wikipedia, Educause ELI, July, 2006.