1. Wikis in the online classroom: One UW case Debra Beck, EdD Master of Public Administration Program  instructor Dan Ewart UW Division of Information Technology  student

2. What is a wiki? Web-based, collaborative work space Joint authorship, editing responsibilities Group ownership of product “Fully editable website” Opportunity for joint construction, meaning- making

3. Why a wiki? Dissatisfaction with group project quality Group member interactions Final projects “Where’s my group?” Single workspace - organizational and content-development Joint accountability for final product Online course-friendly Asynchronous participation

4. Theoretical foundation Engagement theory: motivation and quality increase when distance ed products are shared with others Relate (group context) Create (project-based) Donate (outside focus)

5. The assignments Fall Intro class: Create wiki-based lesson for classmates Topic: assigned nonprofit subsector Spring management & leadership class: Create online resource Topic: assigned management issue Targeting rural nonprofit practitioners

6. Taking a peek… Intro class: http://introtonpsfall2009.pbworks.com/ M&L class: http://wyomingnpmgtnleadership.pbworks.com/

7. Facilitating success Acknowledged early: messy is okay Instructor understands Video tour of wiki site – visual, audio detail Posted to iTunesU podcast General guidelines re: required elements Basic starting points in wiki folders

8. More success attempts M&L class: created benchmarks Interim deadlines Peer feedback mid-project Participation expectations-individual accountability Not preferred, essential to class mix Increased (most) attention to process Alleviated anxieties of natural leaders Legitimate historical concerns

9. Still keeps me up… Detailed style sheet (M&L class) Uniform look, term usage Copyright concerns Encourage appealing to multiple senses Increase their interest value! Interim instructor checks, feedback Share examples, highlight best Direction: err on detail’s side

10. Student feedback “I think that it was really cool that people used what my group made to discuss and to take something away from…it helped others to understand the material as well.” “As for the project itself, I enjoyed it most because it allowed me to delve into an issue that I really knew nothing about.” I was surprised at how eager people were/are to cut funding for Arts and Culture programs…I hope I was able to challenge others to open their thoughts to my ideas as much as others challenged me.” “This assignment helped us explore the full experience of learning in an online community…It was a very different experience to have to rely and depend on people that I had never met, which personally helped me overcome many of the issues I have with delegation, and trust.”

11. Some wiki bookmarks http://delicious.com/debbeck/wiki