Using Wikis in Philosophy

Using Wikis in Philosophy

Overview

A Wiki is a type of internet-based collaboration software that allows groups of people to easily co-author content. Its most famous application is the world-wide Wikipedia. This session explores ways of using wiki software in teaching philosophy.

Wikis can be valuable in teaching philosophy because they allow easy management and updating of content (primarily text, images, and links). Students may be asked to post model work to the wiki, engage in collaborative research using the wiki as a medium for sharing findings, contribute notes, additional detail, or questions to lectures, collaborate with other students on test preparation, or host student projects. Because the wiki was designed to facilitate content creation, it is particularly useful for curriculum in which the process of collecting, sharing, and deliberating on information is important. Wikis can significantly increase transparency in a learning community, which offers benefits and challenges for some traditional pedagogy.

Key Features of Wikis

1. Rollback feature. Wikis are databases which allow careful management of editing and content creation for groups.

2. Talk pages creates a natural "meta-level" for discussion of primary page content.

3. Automatic Tables of Contents and Outlining levels make it easy for groups to accumulate and organize contents. Long pages remain easy to navigate. Quick Look at Wiki Format

Uses of Wikis in Teaching Philosophy

1. General Content Management

• Wiki pages allow a representation of the stable content in a course: readings, management of content over semesters. Front pages of courses Critical Thinking, Human Nature, Senior Seminar. (Show example of course website with wiki integrated.)
• Lecture/study question model, Lecture Notes Page for Intro class and Study Questions Note study question collaboration with wikis.
• Wiki vs. course management software. Blackboard and other products are based on a "container" metaphor, file naming and link creation are simultaneous for wiki software.

2. Student Model Work - Examples in Critical Thinking and Human Nature. Student collaboration on study questions.

3. Student "Wiki Posts" - Human Nature. Still working on how to integrate student content. If successful, this would be an example of the "intergenerational" possibilities of wikis. The professor's role includes managing an ongoing community of learners who are in communication with each other across semesters.

4. Collaborative Research - Critical Thinking] (note possibility of librarian collaboration, transparency across semesters, in linked classes), Philosophy Proseminar, and Senior Seminar (Note difference in Seminar application between contributions to seminar and threaded discussion.)

Problems and Possibilities in Using Wikis

1. Wikis are still cumbersome as standalone software. Moodle provides example of open source program that includes a wiki module.

2. Wikis are very transparent. Page protection and notification features.

3. Ease of creating and linking content. Wiki software realizes many of the features of hypertext software by maintaining a low-design aesthetic and a simple set of editing conventions.