Web 2.0: Walking Through a Wiki Wonderland: A Collaborative Investigation of the History of American Education

Kelly Reffitt, Ph. D.Kelly Jones, Ph. D. candidateSusan Thornton, Ph. D. candidateMercer UniversityMacon, GA

Background & PurposeWikis

collaborative knowledge building and knowledge sharing

The purpose of this case study is to examine doctoral students’ perceptions of the benefits, challenges, and experiences of creating a class wiki.

Context of the StudyClass wiki assignment

Intended as a research assignment & instructional resource

Doctoral student teams2011: Group 1 worked collectively to build a

wiki 2012: Group 2 worked collectively to

redesign the wiki

Group pages aligned to assigned time periods highlighting the history of American

education

Theoretical FrameworkTwo perspectives: globalization and social learning

The Internet opens new possibilities for learning both in and out of the classroom

Knowledge is being built by groups of people from all over the world working together in online spaces such as wikis

Wiki writers form communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) based on a common goal or shared interest

Wikis promote social learning by engaging students in practice and encouraging collaboration

Research MethodsMixed methods case study

Setting: online and on campus

Participants are doctoral students (ages 25-54)

17 students in Group 1 EDCI 815 Spring 2011

15 students in Group 2 EDCI 815 Spring 2012

Data SourcesWe collected three forms of data:

(1) students’ responses to an online survey(2) students’ responses during a videotaped focus group

interview(3) student reflections published on the class wiki sites.

Group 1: 17 students (2011) 12 survey responses 17 reflections

Group 2: 15 students (2012) 12 survey responses 15 reflections 8 focus group interview participants

Survey Results24 of 32 doctoral students completed the survey

75% return rate

Only one had previous experience building or contributing to a wiki page before this assignment.

88% reported participation in the wiki enhanced their technology knowledge and experience.

67% reported that they accessed the wiki as an instructional resource after the course.

79% reported feeling satisfied with the overall experience of creating a collaborative research-based wiki

75% of students reported that they would be likely to use a wiki as an instructional resource in the future.

Qualitative AnalysisInterview transcripts, survey results, and

reflections were coded individually by the researchers to identify initial emergent themes

To increase interrater reliability, the researchers then compared their coded transcripts and collapsed the codes into 24 categorical themes

Major Emergent Themes“Top 5” Based on Frequency:

1. Technology2. Learning experience3. Classroom connections4. Engagement5. Benefits of the assignment5. Time spent

Educational SignificanceWikis provide a distinct work setting that is

conducive to the emerging presence of globalization in education

Digital/network/technology/information/media literacies are critical for teachers

Classrooms today are nodes in larger global learning networks

Wikis can be multimodal, collaborative spaces for sustained engagement and meaningful learning

Questions?Dr. Kelly Reffitt, Mercer University.

Phone: (478) 301-5389Email: reffitt_ke@mercer.edu

Kelly Jones, Mercer University. Phone: (478) 301-2175Email: jones_kl@mercer.edu

Susan Thornton, Dublin City Schools. Email: susan.thornton@dublincityschools.us

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