In my online courses, I use wikis in conjunction with weekly discussion
forums. My students love the
wiki assignments because it gives them a chance to create their own content
instead of just responding to a discussion question. Wikis are a collection of articles about a
subject. Depending on your learning management system (LMS), users can add text, images, audio
and even YouTube videos to the wiki.
In online courses, wiki assignments are always a fun and creative way to get students to learn a subject. Wikis enhance student learning by getting them to utilize deeper levels of cognition and engagement with a subject. For my courses, I use wikis in a variety of ways. Some of the wikis my classes have completed include -
1) Reference wikis – are intended to provide reference information about a topic. For instance, students in my computer class created a reference wiki about green computing. The wiki included pages about where to recycle computers, corporate recycling programs at specific companies and the federal guidelines for saving energy from the Environmental Protection Agency. The assignment required each student to create a page with a different reference and then add information into the page. In addition, they had to add information to the wiki pages for two other students in the class.
In online courses, wiki assignments are always a fun and creative way to get students to learn a subject. Wikis enhance student learning by getting them to utilize deeper levels of cognition and engagement with a subject. For my courses, I use wikis in a variety of ways. Some of the wikis my classes have completed include -
1) Reference wikis – are intended to provide reference information about a topic. For instance, students in my computer class created a reference wiki about green computing. The wiki included pages about where to recycle computers, corporate recycling programs at specific companies and the federal guidelines for saving energy from the Environmental Protection Agency. The assignment required each student to create a page with a different reference and then add information into the page. In addition, they had to add information to the wiki pages for two other students in the class.
when using reference wikis:When setting up reference wikis, require that students use something other than text such as images or video. Also, give student guidelines for creating content for the reference wiki. Although a wiki assignment allows students great flexibility, guidelines will help students formulate HOW they can present their material in a clear and concise manner.
2) Lesson
wikis – are intended to teach an
audience about a topic. Lesson wikis provide a chance for students to create a lesson about a topic and present it to the class. In my computer course, I
have assigned lesson wikis for various chapters in the textbook. Lesson wikis are
great for chapters with dense material. This type of wiki assignment
encourages students either as an entire class or in groups, to break down the
material and learn it enough to present it as a lesson. Students will
oftentimes go outside to find materials that help them learn about the topic so
that they can create a better lesson wiki.
when using lesson wikis: When
creating a lesson wiki for your class, consider a basic lesson on a topic that students can
find plenty of outside material for. If the lesson is too obscure, students
won’t be able to adequately learn and be able to “teach” their classmates.
when using lesson wikis: When
creating a lesson wiki for your class, consider a basic lesson on a topic that students can
find plenty of outside material for. If the lesson is too obscure, students
won’t be able to adequately learn and be able to “teach” their classmates.3) Team wikis – are great for larger classes of students. Team wikis work great for courses where collaborative learning is more natural. Courses in business, science, art/design, humanities and culinary subjects come to mind. Team wikis allow students in teams to create a wiki as part of a larger class wiki or a separate wiki. In many LMSs you can give creating and editing rights to certain students in the class thus giving specific teams access to their own wiki.
I once took an educational technology class that had a lesson wiki assignment on designing accessible web pages. Teams were assigned by the instructor according to the backgrounds of the members. The assignment of teams by the instructor ensured that teams were kept smaller at no more than 4 people and diverse to produce a creative result. Teams were assigned to subtopics within the larger accessibility topic. For instance, team A covered the topic of designing for visually impaired students; team B covered designing for hearing impaired students and team C covered for designing physically impaired students.
Tip for using team wikis: For undergraduate students and those new to the online environment for the first time, I would assign teams because it can be done quickly and purposefully. For graduate level courses with experienced students or second level courses where students know each other, allow students to create their own teams.
Resources for more wiki assignment ideas:
This article presented only 3 broad uses of wikis for online courses. There are tons of examples of wiki assignments that you can use in your course. Here are some resources below that can give you ideas on creating wiki assignments for your own courses.
Vanderbuilt University’s Center for Teaching has a nice list of what some instructors are doing with wikis in their courses. You can see it at:
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/wikis/
Smart Teaching.org lists 50 ways to use wikis in a course. Check out the article at:
http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/
The resource site Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has a guide for teachers on using wikis. It’s at:
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/07/teachers-guide-on-use-of-wikis-in.html
http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/wikis/
Smart Teaching.org lists 50 ways to use wikis in a course. Check out the article at:
http://www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/50-ways-to-use-wikis-for-a-more-collaborative-and-interactive-classroom/
The resource site Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has a guide for teachers on using wikis. It’s at:
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/07/teachers-guide-on-use-of-wikis-in.html
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