Tom Lyons
Physics/Electronics Tutor
“An investigation into the use of Wikis to improve students’ learning”
Due for completion in June 2009
Background:
· Wikis are a widely used resource on the web, most notably Wikipedia
· Wikis have been used in teaching in some schools and in higher education institutions
· Wikis enable students to author and edit their own material which can help to improve their understanding in a subject
Key actions:
· Provide students with a class wiki page to which they can contribute and edit to help to improve their understanding and engagement in a subject
· Assess the benefits of using the wiki to both teacher and students
· Provide support to other teachers wishing to use wikis in their teaching
Key findings:
· The majority of students liked the idea of the wiki and found generating content helped to improve their learning
· The wiki pages need to be used in class time and integrated into lessons to enable the students to become familiar with its use and to see the benefits of its use
· Students were reluctant to generated unsolicited input to the pages as they were concerned that the content may be “wrong”
· There is significant interest amongst teaching staff in learning more about the use of wikis in teaching
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