by Merissa Mcgregor

Created on: June 07, 2008

Wikis, which are essentially web pages that can be viewed and edited publicly through a web browser by anyone with permission, not only make communication easier, but they encourage student engagement and participation through on-line collaboration. While some Wikis are completely open to anyone for editing, others limit editing to a certain group of people through special authorization such as the use of a password. Editing can consist of not only revising information, but making additions or deletions as well. This technological resource lends itself well to collaborative projects and assignments, collections of resources or articles, and reviewing others' work. Wikis can improve college collaboration because instead of trying to coordinate busy schedules or collaborate via an abundance of emails, Wikis allow numerous users to create a site, edit it and quickly post any new or changed information.

Furthermore, Wikis can be used in many different ways. For example students may post lectures notes to a Wiki allowing others to add any lacking information or, similarly, review class content and material by creating their own on-line study guide with other classmates contributing what they feel is important. Likewise, they might set up a Wiki where classmates can post links to web resources they've found helpful. Another use would be to post a piece of writing which can then be reviewed by several others successively and yet the author still receives timely feedback. Additionally, by posting their work on the web, students have a different audience than just the teacher. They must submit contributions which can be read by their peers and the general public. However, while the collaborative possibilities are endless, there are drawbacks to open editing as well. One must be able to trust the other users to make factual, thoughtful, and/or authentic contributions. Yet on the other hand, in a way this too makes for a valuable lesson in the importance of evaluating and assessing the validity of information.

Overall, research shows in hundreds of studies that cooperative learning is highly effective in enhancing student achievement. In fact, Robert Marzano has identified cooperative learning as one of the top nine instructional strategies to improve student achievement. While educators often provide time for cooperative learning in class, Wikis are a simple and efficient way to facilitate and encourage such learning outside of the classroom.

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