June
26
Driving forces behind Wikitext:
- Students were not using textbooks, often sold back to bookstore with shrink wrap still on them.
- Dissatisfaction with timeliness of textbooks.
Theory behind Wikitext:
- Enhance student learning by increasing involvement in course content and encouraging higher level thinking.
- Introduce collaborative environments.
- Use technology as an instructional tool.
Designing the Wikitext:
- Developed an online text book by adapting content from existing textbook as a guide.
- Started with grad students, chose topics and wrote sample articles.
- Support sessions created, written support developed (formatting guidelines, resources, sidebars, composing quality questions, navigation, etc.)
Implementation of the Wikitext:
- Done in introduction to education course.
- 227 students, online and face to face.
- All students had to choose a topic to write a 1,000 word article. Needed to include 5 multiple choice questions, 1 essay questions, and a sidebar discussion.
- Students were put into groups. Each group reviewed and rated all articles.
- Rated on a three point scale (outstanding, satisfactory, unsatisfactory). Changed to five point scale in the next semester.
- Best version of each topic’s article was published in the wiki. This was the article that students were responsible for knowing on their exams.
- Ratings of articles were averaged into final course grade.
- Ratings tracked by student ID number. Edits tracked by TA’s.
- Students were then responsible for one major edit to an article (> 150 words).
Methods of the Wikitext:
- A lot of research was done on this process. Eight different studies done (attitudinal, student response to process, holistic approach to the process, comparison of student-assigned to teacher-assigned grades, pre-course, during course, and post-course etc.)
- Most data self-reported
Results of the studies:
- Student concerns: 28.3% research for article, 20.1% writing composition, 19.5% concerns on technology, 15.7% worry about quality of content
- Final grades were slightly higher than when using normal textbook.
- 22% reported high involvement in traditional course, 61% reported high involvement with Wikitext.
- 100% no spent ~2 hours, 50% spent no time out of class with traditional, 89% reported 1-4 hours a week with Wikitext.
- 69% agreed that they experienced active learning after the course was over
- 53% got a lot of worth out of the class.
- 79% said content currency was higher or much higher, 47% said quality was better.
- One student said it was the most inspiring undertaking of education revamping he had ever experienced.
- Some said they didn’t want to read articles by their “idiot peers” and that they didn’t want to do “the instructor’s work for them”. These students expected a more top-down pedagogy model.
- 62% wanted to use Wikitext again.
- 70% reported increase in technology skills.
- Conclusion: student centered learning increased, active-learning increased, technology skill level increased.
Link to the final versions of the book created here.
Link to session page here.
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