Keywords: wiki, reflection, collaboration, group work.

What is it?

A wiki is a type of collaboratively-authored website and can be a powerful tool for both reflective and collaborative learning activities. They enable the singular of collaborative development of online documents without prior knowledge of HTML or web development techniques, with old versions of each page retained automatically so that they can be viewed (and restored if required) by checking the page history.

Why use it?

Wikis are very flexible and can be set up and edited in many different ways. A Wiki may house collaboratively-developed lecture notes for an entire cohort, act as a space in which a group can collect evidence prior to a presentation, or be used as a brainstorming facility for an individual project.

In the context of group work, a wiki's version control facility allows tutors and students to explore development of a document, revealing who has contributed what and when.

Who can use it?

Before I start...

An alternative to using the Moodle Wiki, if it doesn't meet your needs, is asking students to use the UCL Wiki instead. They can login and create a Profile, which they can then share with others. Simply link wiki from your Moodle course.

Whichever wiki tool you use, think about:

Meeting the baseline

The UCL E-Learning Baseline suggests the following for Orientation:

 For Student Active Participation it is suggested that:

How do I set one up?

Add a Wiki quick guide

  1. To add a Wiki to your course, Turn editing on, locate an appropriate section, click Add an activity or resource, and select Wiki then click add.
  2. Enter a Name and Description (which you can display if you wish).
  3. Select a Mode for the wiki, i.e. collaborative or individual, and enter a First page name.
  4. If required, select Common module settings to alter the Group mode. 
  5. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save and display.


Further guidance on Wiki settings is available from MoodleDocs.

If you find any inaccurate or missing information you can even update this yourself (it's a communal wiki).

If you have a specific question about the tool please contact the Digital Education team.


Caution

The wiki mode cannot be changed once saved for the first time, so ensure that the the option selected is correct. A collaborative wiki allows everyone to edit, while an individual wiki offers everyone on the course a wiki that only they can edit.

Examples and case studies

Questions & Answers

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Further information

More information about the Wiki activity, including its settings, use, and an FAQ, can be found on MoodleDocs.