THE WIKI SOLUTION:

USING WIKIS FOR ASYNCHRONOUS GROUP WORK

by Marla Kimmel, John Cecil and Jose Caballero

EDTC6320 Group One

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Instructional Problem to be addressed Conceptual Background Intended Audience Necessary Resources Hardware Software Skills Personnel Cost Things to Consider Site Selection Wiki Creation Page Creation Group Contributions Revision History Permanent Site Assessment Individual Assessment Group Assessment References FAQs

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Instructional Problem to be addressed

 

Group work without face-to-face meetings can be difficult, and asynchronous group work is even more complicated. When time zone differences or differing schedules limit simultaneous online time for group members, a flexible collaborative tool is needed.

 

The "group" in every group project implies a context of social connection, and yet this context is largely absent from the asynchronous learning environment. In fact, asynchronous group projects--ones in which no group members are able to contribute at the same time--are better thought of as collections of individual contributions, as opposed to true cooperative efforts. Such projects present the following problems for students and instructors:

 

• Students can delegate work, and yet not have a shared understanding of the project. If this is the case, inconsistencies could easily find their way into the end product.
• Using email or bulletin board postings for communication requires a member to wait for a response before going forward. A more fluid method is needed to allow continuous workflow.
• Not every student who starts a class finishes it. If there is an unexpected change in the membership of a group, then the work assigned to members leaving the group could simply be lost.
• In Internet-based classes, the group member who has the greatest proficiency with the software being used could easily become the group member who does the majority of the work on a group project.
• Providing an accurate assessment of the individual effort of each group member could prove to be an impossible task for instructors, since these efforts cannot be separated from the end product.

 

Wikis address each of these problems, and provide students in asynchronous learning environments with a virtual workspace that is easy to use, collaborative in nature, and that automatically tracks the contributions of every group member.

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Conceptual Background

 

For the conceptual background of this topic, we will look at research on asynchronous learning, definitions of a Wiki, and research on Wikis in group learning.

 

Asynchronous learning, meaning "not at the same time" has become the second hurdle for group interaction in distance education. Many technologies currently address the need for synchronous learning in distance education: the Blackboard system, conference video telephony, etc. But when students are unable to call or log-on at the same time, group work becomes difficult. It should be noted that asynchronous learning is not necessarily inferior: as one study shows, "ALNs asynchronous learning networks generate high levels of cognitive activity, at least equal to, and in some cases superior to, the cognitive processes in the FTF face-to-face classroom” (Heckman). FTF is not always the best solution, "...if students are logging in from multiple time zones or are primarily working adults, the synchronous mode will allow too little flexibility in scheduling" (Ko, 52).

 

Before looking at research on Wikis, we should be sure they are defined. A quick, and appropriate, definition of Wikis can be found at the largest Wiki on the web, Wikipedia: it is "a type of website that allows the visitors themselves to easily add, remove and otherwise edit and change some available content" (Wikipedia). "Easily" is the key word: users need not know HTML and can easily change and add information using a text interface. Furthermore - and key for group work - edits and prior revisions are recorded and tracked. For this reason, Wikis have become popular tools for group work, particularly within a distance education environment.

 

There are an array of studies on the usefulness of Wikis. Some have looked at their uses in the classroom "synchronously" or "semi-synchronously" where students work more or less together, and the Wiki software is essentially a platform for viewing their group work. (Désilets, Wiki as a tool) Another study, by the same researcher, found that asynchronous learning was possible with a Wiki, and without instructor oversight (Desilets, Are Wikis useable?). Other studies find that good grammar and academic writing can be achieved at that Wikis can be "leveraged to engage students in authentic collaborative academic writing activities”(Forte). On the downside, however, James finds in his report "My Brilliant Failure" that Wikis can be "fun" in the classroom, but ultimately the quality of learning depends on the instructor and classroom environment (James).

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Intended Audience

 

As distance learning students engaged in a group project in an asynchronous learning network (ALN), we are looking at wikis from our own perspective. We are examining how wikis might be used as a medium for group work in an ALN. Our project discusses the wiki's benefits both to the students and the instructors in such setting.

 

Wikis are designed for collaboration, and are seemingly limitless with regards to scale. For example, a small group of cooks might use a wiki to collect its favorite recipes. But a large group of marketers, working together to introduce a new product worldwide, might just as easily use a wiki to plan their global marketing strategies. Wikipedia, the world's largest wiki, contains over 5.5 million articles.

 

As a simple shared document with remote access, the wiki eliminates the need for synchronous meetings. This makes it an ideal medium for group work among distance learning students. Students in different time zones or with incompatible schedules can contribute continuously to a project, each with full access to all members' work. This group of asynchronous learners is the primary audience for this presentation.

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Necessary Resources

 

Hardware

One of the features of the wiki that has made it so popular is the fact that its hardware requirements are minimal. Any computer with internet access has the necessary hardware to connect to a wiki. Since a wiki is edited using a plain text interface, even those with dial-up connections can participate with minimal delays due to slow loading times.

 

Software

Wikis can be accessed through any web browser, and many open source browsers are available for free. If users want to edit their contributions ahead of time, a text editor is all they need. Again, many free and open source text editors are available. This means the software required to use a wiki is readily available and costs nothing.

 

Skills

Only the most basic computer skills are required to use a wiki. The ability to use a web browser, click on buttons, and enter or edit text is all users need to know in order to contribute to a wiki. The technical expertise required is on a par with typing and sending an email. Depending upon the server, many formatting options might be built into the wiki's template, eliminating the need for HTML knowledge among its users. Even setting up a wiki is often no more difficult than typing a URL and designating a password.

 

Personnel

The most important personnel required to maintain a wiki are its contributors. A host or moderator is useful for setting up the Wiki and inviting members to join. In a classroom setting, the instructor would likely set up the wiki and serve as the moderator. By signing in as the moderator, the instructor could answer questions, make comments, and keep the group on track.

 

Cost

Many sites, such as Peanut Butter Wiki (http://pbwiki.com), PMWiki (http://pmwiki.com), and Wikispaces (http://wikispaces.com), provide free wiki services. Free services typically lack more advanced services, but may be adequate for many users. To gain access to other services, a fee must be paid. The cost will vary, depending upon the provider, the desired services, and the amount of space needed. For example, the cost at Peanut Butter Wiki ranges from free for their basic service to almost $200 per year for their platinum service. WikiSpaces, which also provides free basic service, can cost $1,000 per year for their premium service.

 

Commercial and open source wiki software is available for those interested in hosting their own wikis. This solution dramatically increases the amount of technical knowledge required to set up the wiki, but has the potential to eliminate most of the hosting costs. Also, hosting a wiki in this manner might violate the terms of service agreement with an internet provider, unless the host has a commercial account.

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Things to Consider

 

There are a few simple steps involved in creating a wiki for asynchronous group work. This process can be linked directly to a course outline, or created by participants independently (LeFever). The only thing required ahead of time is for the wiki's creator to have the email addresses for all participants.

 

Site Selection

Select a site, sometimes called a "wiki farm," to host the wiki. Comparisons of the many wiki hosting options are available here http://www.editthis.info/wiki/Wiki_hosting_comparison_guide and here http://pascal.vanhecke.info/2005/10/30/free-hosted-wikis-comparison-of-wiki-farms/. One of the free services will almost certainly be sufficient for most ALN group projects.

 

Wiki Creation

Create the wiki and invite group members to participate. This process will vary, depending on the host. At Peanut Butter Wiki, setting up a wiki took one of our members less than five minutes, including the time spent reading the online documentation. Group members need to be notified, via email, and sent the appropriate login information for the wiki. This is typically done from the hosting site at the time the wiki is created.

 

Page Creation

A wiki for group work can contain multiple pages, and these pages need to be created. Having a separate page for comments and questions is useful, especially if the project is being moderated by the instructor. Separate pages can also be created for bibliographical references, or for subsections of the project. At Peanut Butter Wiki, creating a new page was as simple as clicking the "new page" button, and naming the page.

 

Group Contributions

Group members can then contribute their own words and images to the wiki. The content of the wiki can be edited by everyone who has the correct password, either at separate times or simultaneously. The wiki keeps a record of which group member has made changes to the project, and when a group member has visited the site. Group members can receive email updates telling them that the wiki has been modified. Features like "recently edited pages" can be displayed so members can tell at a glance if the wiki has been modified since their last visit.

 

Revision History

As long as group members have access to the wiki, it is a dynamic work in progress and its content can be modified. The group can start to contribute to a wiki immediately upon its creation, and can continue to edit it even after its due date has passed. Older versions of the wiki are maintained in the revision history. These versions can be referenced at any time, and reverting to an earlier version is possible.

 

Permanent Site

If the wiki is intended to serve as a more permanent web resource, stopping the wiki's development is as simple as changing the password. The wiki then becomes a static reference, like a standard web page.

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Assessment

 

The assessment of the wiki can vary, depending on the goals of the instructor. The following rubric is generic with regards to content, but with minor modifications could be used for nearly any distance learning group project. The rubric is divided into two sections, individual and group:

 

Individual Assessment

 

Individual assessment makes up 75% of the each members grade, and is divided into two equal parts:

 

 

	4	3	2	1	0
Group Participation: The wiki format demands group participation, and the end result is better if every member of the group makes a significant contribution to the project. Rather than giving students a timeline regarding how often they must post, we simply count all consecutive days of posting by any student as one post. This encourages students to post several times, and leaves time between posts for their peers to post, as well. When editing the work of their peers, students are required to provide an explanation on a separate "comments" page.	Contributes more than 1,000 words to the wiki. Posts contributions on more than five non-consecutive days. Edits and comments on the posts of peers more than five times.	Contributes 750 to 1,000 words to the wiki. Posts contributions on four or five non-consecutive days. Edits and comments on the posts of peers four or five times.	Contributes 500 to 749 words to the wiki. Posts contributions on two or three non-consecutive days. Edits and comments on the posts of peers two or three times.	Contributes less than 500 words to the wiki. Posts contributions on one day (or consecutive days). Edits and comments on the posts of peers once.	Does not participate in the group process.
Content and References: Without a saved revision history, it would be impossible to ascertain to what degree each member of the group contributed to the project's content. This is one of the wiki's great strengths, and makes it possible to grade each student individually, with regards to their contributions in the areas of content and bibliographical references.	Contributes more than five bibliographical references to the wiki. Covers subject matter in depth, with details and examples. Demonstrates mastery of the relevant vocabulary and key concepts. Contributions are properly cited using APA style.	Contributes four or five bibliographical references to the wiki. Adequately covers the essential elements of the subject matter. Demonstrates competency in using the relevant vocabulary and key concepts. Citations contain few or minor errors related to APA style.	Contributes two or three bibliographical references to the wiki. Covers some key elements of the topic, but with minor inaccuracies or false assumptions. Demonstrates partial understanding of relevant vocabulary and key concepts. Citations contain several or major errors related to APA style.	Contributes one bibliographical reference to the wiki. Covers the topic superficially, with serious factual inaccuracies or false assumptions. Demonstrates little or no competency in using the relevant vocabulary and key concepts. Contributions are not cited.	Does not contribute to the content or references of the wiki.

 

Group Assessment

 

Group assessment makes up 25% of each members grade, and is divided into two equal parts:

 

 

 

	4	3	2	1	0
Design: Navigating the wiki and taking in its content should be a user-friendly experience, and good design is essential to this goal. Any use of graphics, color, or other visual elements should be limited to those things that aid readers in understanding the subject matter. Similarly, the content itself must be organized in a way that flows logically and minimizes opportunities for readers to get lost or confused.	The wiki is very well organized, paying close attention to page length, paragraph length, headings and list styles when needed. Subsections flow logically and are clearly defined. The group makes excellent use of font, color and graphics to enhance the wiki's design.	The wiki is generally well organized, but occasionally fails with regards to page length, paragraph length, headings or list styles. Subsections are easy to identify, but sometimes lack a logical flow. The group has made adequate use of font, color and graphics.	The wiki's content is organized, but fails on multiple accounts with regards to page length, paragraph length, headings or list styles. Subsections are sometimes difficult to identify, and they lack a logical flow. Fonts, color and graphics are used in a way that sometimes detracts from the wiki's design.	The wiki is poorly organized, and pays little attention to page length, paragraph length, headings or list styles. Subsections are barely discernable, and have no flow. The wiki makes use of visual elements, but they mostly detract from the wiki's design.	Content is confusing, and is not organized in any discernable way. Visual elements, when used, are simply distracting.
Accuracy: It is important for every member of the group to read the contributions of every other member, so errors in spelling and grammar count against every member's grade. Similarly, every member is responsible for broken links and missing images.	The wiki has no misspellings or grammatical errors. There are no broken links or missing images.	The wiki has one or two misspellings, and minimal grammatical errors. There are no more than two broken links or missing images.	The wiki has three or four misspellings, and obvious grammatical errors. There are three or four broken links or missing images.	The wiki has five or six misspellings, and numerous grammatical errors. There are five or six broken links or missing images.	No apparent effort was made to fix misspellings, grammatical errors, broken links or missing images.

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References

 

Aumueller, David (2005). Semantic authoring and retrieval within a Wiki. Retrieved November 3, 2006 from http://the.navigable.info/2005/aumueller05wiksar.pdf

 

While this is a technical article and more specifically about “SHAWN” Wikis, it also goes into usability of wikis in general. While the upside for wikis is the ease of editing without knowledge of HTML, the downside is that specific information is hard to find and the user is lost in an abundance of wiki pages. Most pages reside on "one conceptual level" and are not further organized.

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Chen, H. L., Cannon, D. , Gabrio, J., Leifer, L., Toye G., and T. Bailey (2005). Using Wikis and Weblogs to Support Reflective Learning in an Introductory Engineering Design Course, Proceeding of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, http://riee.stevens.edu/fileadmin/riee/pdf/ASEE2005_Paper_Wikis_and_Weblogs.pdf

 

This is an interesting study of using weblogs and wikis as a socially-interactive learning experiment. It claims that social interactions occur more often between virtual and face-to-face environments, especially for college students who have been described as "digital natives" in the world of computers. Higher education is beginning to adapt to the potential of blogs and wikis and to integrate these technologies into the virtual classroom experience.

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Collaborative Wiki. Distance Education. Retrieved November 2, 2006 from http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Distance_education

 

This wiki is about distance education and discusses a new "emerging" paradigm: that of distributed knowledge generation. This model involves "writing to learn" and developing a community of practice, using various collaborative tools, such as the wiki.

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Désilets, A. and S. Paquet (2005), Wiki as a Tool for Web-based Collaborative Story Telling in Primary School: A Case Study, EdMedia 2005, World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications. Montréal, Québec, Canada. http://iit-iti.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/iit-publications-iti/docs/NRC-48234.pdf

 

This is an interesting study of primary school use, although they seemed to use wikis largely in a “synchronous” or “semi-synchronous” manner. The article discusses how people in the education sector have become increasingly interested in using wikis for computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), and that these experiments enable "socio-constructivist" learning (an expression that has a distinctly Soviet ring to it). These wiki projects are found to boost student engagement.

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Désilets, A., Paquet, S., and N.G. Vinson. (2005). Are Wikis Usable? 2005 International Symposium on Wikis. San Diego, California. https://iit-iti.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/iit-publications-iti/docs/NRC-48272.pdf

 

This is a good study of whether Wikis really are worthwhile for group editing, and without instructor oversight. The study found that a class of fifteen grade 4 children could use it to create stories collaboratively with only a short training session. The instructor was on hand to answer questions, but there have been projects with no direct instructor input which were equally successful.

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Ferris, S. P. and H. Wilder. 2006. Uses and potentials of wikis in the classroom. Innovate, Volume 2. Retrieved October 30, 2006 from http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=258&action=article

 

This is a great site with many links to additional articles and research on the use of wikis for collaborative learning situations. The article claims that the potential for classroom utilization of wikis is "endless," but that thoughtful and deliberate planning is needed in addition to creativity and enthusiasm.(Note: You have to set up an account to view the articles, but it is free.)

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Forte, A., and Bruckman, A. (2006). From Wikipedia to the classroom: exploring online publication and learning. International Conference on Learning Sciences: Proceedings of the 7th international conference on Learning sciences. Bloomington, Indiana. Retrieved November 3, 2006 from http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1150061&coll=GUIDE&dl=GUIDE&CFID=5133502&CFTOKEN=64728245

 

This is an interesting study of Wikipedia and a suggestion that a similar system has potential for academic coursework. Although there is a lack of traditional formal review, Wikipedia writers produce a "highly standardized form of academic writing" The authors suggest that this model be leveraged to engage students in collaborative academic writing. (Note: You have to set up an account to view the articles, but it is free.)

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Heckman, R., and Annabi, H. (2005). A content analytic comparison of learning processes in online and face-to-face case study discussions. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(2), article 7. http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue2/heckman.html

 

This is a rather technical article on the subject of asynchronous learning, and one which is generally positive about the nature of AL over FTF (face-to-face). The authors find evidence that, with AL, high levels of cognitive activity are equal to or superior to FTF in the classroom setting.

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James, H. (2004). My brilliant failure: Wikis in classrooms. Kairos News. Retrieved November 1, 2006 from http://kairosnews.org/node/3794?PHPSESSID=c50a97d36570b527fc8c8a9de9d4255e

 

The author of this brief article felt that wikis in the classroom were no “magic bullet”, but they were fun. After his in-class wiki experiment, he felt that the "social norms and practices" in the classroom were just as important as the technology (templates, access, etc.) in getting results. Ultimately, it was the practices of the teacher, and the interaction of the students that were important.

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Ko, Susan and Rossen, Steve. Teaching Online: A practical guide. Houghton-Mifflin Company, Boston, 2001.

This is a teaching practice book that discusses asynchronous practice. The author suggests asynchronous is best for people in multiple time zones. According to one chapter, the synchronous mode of discussion will allow too little flexibility in planning and scheduling the project.

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Lamb, Brian (2004). Wide Open Spaces: Wikis, Ready or Not, EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 39, no. 5 (September/October 2004): 36-48. Retrieved November 3, 2006 from http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0452.asp?bhcp=1

 

This is a general discussion of Wikis as the "wave of the future." The author discusses potential pitfalls in relying on them, and warns against a gradual increase in user expectations. Some specific concerns are internet server failures before an assignment deadline or a conference presentation. Project leaders may regret going ahead with wiki-based initiatives without considering possible technical problems.

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LeFever, Lee (2004). Wikis Described in Plain English. Retrieved November 2, 2005. http://www.commoncraft.com/archives/000644.html

 

This is a good basic source for a description of how Wikis work. The author discusses creation basics, how to make new pages, and how to manage a wiki using a "gardener" metaphor. Some of the limitations of wikis are discussed, such as the lack of threading, so that communications requiring a clear chronology are not well-supported.

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Wegerif, R. (1998). The social dimensions of asynchronous learning networks. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, Volume 2. Retrieved November 1, 2006 from http://lawi.ucpel.tche.br/social-dimensao-ALN.pdf

 

This is an interesting look at how asynchronous works socially, using case studies. Noted are the ways that collaborative learning was dependent on social feedback, and the quality of the feedback became important for a user's "feelings of success or failure." Those who remained "outsiders" to the group often felt that they had failed to learn.

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Wikipedia. Wiki. Retrieved November 5, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki.

 

This defines (somewhat self-referentially) both the technological platform of a wiki server system, and a web-page created by such a system. Typical operations, key characteristics, how to edit and manage the editing process, controlling "vandalism" and wiki communities are discussed.

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FAQs

 

 

Marla responds: The assessment is split because students are ultimately graded as individuals, not groups. In my experience as a teacher, I've found that group work is more successful, and students perform better, if all students are held accountable for their individual efforts. As a matter of principle, I believe that students who do no work on a project should get no credit for the project. And I believe that students who do all the required work for a project should not be graded down because of their peers. This is why the majority of the grade (and enough for any individual student to get a passing grade) is based on the individual assessment.

 

The group assessment is included because these are detail-oriented tasks that separate the "A" students from the "C" students. By discussing the design and accuracy of the wiki, group members can learn from one another what it takes to do "A" work. If no one in the group cares about getting more than a "C" then they have that option. But if even one person wants to get every possible point, the other group members can see (by looking at the revision history) what it takes to get there.

 

As a public school teacher, I am accountable for the grades I give, and those grades can be challenged both by parents and administrators. If I graded group work without taking individual effort into account I would be challenged on a regular basis (and rightly so). No matter what the assignment, people can only control themselves. To design a rubric that pretended otherwise would be to design a faulty rubric.

 

 

Marla responds: Special software is not needed if you use a wiki hosting site. Several are mentioned on the front page. This site (pbwiki.com) offers a free tutorial. After using the tutorial, I found that no further training was necessary. The analogy that using a wiki is like writing and sending an email is accurate. In my opinion, if you can send an email, you will have no problems creating and using a wiki.

 

I would assume that other wiki sites provide tutorial services. I would imagine that if you purchased software to host your own wiki, there would also be customer support provided by the software manufacturer. Also, purchased software should contain a help file. If you choose to purchase software, be thorough in your evalauation of the product to ensure these services are included.