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Wikis are a related technology to blogs but offer enhancements including massively collaborative authoring allowances, content management features that blogs do not possess (Gordon, 2006). This technology provides a flexible content management system that is both cost-effective and simple to use (Gordon) making the applications of wiki technology limitless in a knowledge economy (Engstrom & Jewett, 2005). This subsection defines and describes wikis as a collaborative learning technology. Discussion includes the uses of wikis in educational environments, workplace learning, and the appeal of this technology to Millennial generation members. Finally, the subsection concludes with identification of research relating to wikis and the existing gap in analyzing application in workplace learning environments.
Definition and Descriptions
Wikis are collaborative, web-based, communities that serve a vast array of collaborative project purposes (Engstrom & Jewett, 2005). The name wiki comes from then Hawaiian word wikiwiki which translates as fast or quick (Wagner, 2004). As the name implies, wikis offer users a fast, simple, and collaborative software tool to share and create knowledge (Wagner). The wiki technology is uncomplicated to install, access, and use as both an author and reader making it a popular tool amongst people seeking or sharing information (Raman, Ryan, & Olfman, 2005).
Often considered an extension of blogs, wikis advance the notion of blog collaboration by allowing for many users to author, edit, and save work relating to several topics (Bean & Hott, 2005; Gordon, 2006). Additionally, wikis provide management tools that enable users to review change logs, track authorship on articles, lock articles from edit, control versions of articles, and rollback articles to previous versions (Gordon). The involvement of many authors, management controls, and simple use make wikis a more permanent and longer-lasting tool than blogs (Godwin-Jones, 2003).
Wikipedia, commonly accepted as the largest wiki project on the Internet is operated by the Wikimedia Foundation (Descy, 2006). Descy (2006) reports that as of 2006 Wikipedia housed over 829,000 articles in over 100 different languages. Madden and Fox (2006) report that 24.25% of Wikipedia users are between 18 and 24 years of age and 23.25% are between 25 and 34 years old. Wikitionary, another Wikimedia Foundation online project offers a complete dictionary and etymology of 103,000 words as of 2006 (Descy). A lesser known project from Wikimedia Foundation is Wikibooks which housed over 12,000 books in 2006 (Descy).
Uses in Education
Wikis, as method for mass content development and deployment (Cragun, 2007) enable groups to collaborate via web-based software meeting basic tenets of constructivist learning and the needs of Millennial generation learners (Beldarrain, 2006). Further, wikis offer the ability to extend classroom activities in a distance learning scenario fostering more communication and interactivity (Beldarrain). Because wikis are not limited by time, teachers can use previous class sessions, projects, assignments, or member contributions to scaffold learning and extend the lessons in the classroom create a long-term collaboration around topics and issues (Raman et al., 2005). Collaborative wiki projects provide the opportunity to synthesize knowledge give students a more meaningful and expansive learning experience (Lamb & Johnson, 2007).
In a practical education sense wikis provide students with a variety of tools and options to enhance the learning experience (Lamb & Johnson, 2007). Students, collaborating together, use wikis to engage in group problem solving, group research, and group writing activities (Lamb & Johnson). Group journals give students the ability to actively record their understandings and reflections together through wiki technology (Raman et al., 2005; Dearstyne, 2007; Lamb & Johnson). A similar wiki activity is group note taking where students collaborate to capture provided information for use as study guides, resources, or as part of electronic portfolios (Raman et al.; Lamb & Johnson). Wikis also create a portal for student self-discovery and research (Lamb & Johnson). As a knowledge management system for both teachers and students, wikis offer learning groups convenient creation, storage, and retrieval of knowledge objects and information (Raman et al.).
Uses in Workplace Learning
Wikis play an important role in knowledge management. Wikis reduce wasted time searching for information from individuals or legacy retrieval systems, improves efficiencies and effectiveness of information storage and retrieval, allows for organizations to gain from collective experiences captured in wikis, and increases knowledge creation throughout the community (Fleenor & Rego, 2005; Beldarrain, 2006). These wiki communities develop articles relating to important organizational issues and expert advice and refine them overtime with successive members of team, projects, departments, organizations (Schwartz, Clark, Cossarin, & Rudolf, 2004). As such, wikis are a new communication tool replacing previous electronic communication technologies like electronic mail and instant messaging (Dearstyne, 2007). Organizations are increasingly turning to wikis to capture tacit organizational knowledge, that is the knowledge created through personal connections and collaboration versus the time consuming interviewing and information capture of other knowledge management systems (Fleenor & Rego). These personal collaboration experiences actively foster creativity, innovation, and the creation of new knowledge (Raman et al., 2005; Dearstyne).
As a tool, specific to workplace learning, wikis enable training operations to publish information as it is needed to support operations on new issues, events, performance support, training support, process, procedures, or company news (Wagner, 2004; Bean & Hott, 2005; Beldarrain, 2006). Wikis also serve as tool for group brainstorming enabling users to post ideas asynchronously without disruption to the working operation (Bean & Hott). In general, wikis are a cost-effective and simple content management system (Gordon, 2006) that promotes real-time, quick, communication that promotes a robust learning environment throughout organizations (Beldarrain).
Appeal to Millennials
Wikis appeal to Millennials because the technology includes features that reflect characteristics common to that generation of people. Specifically, wikis meet the needs for independence, inclusion, innovation, authenticity (Tapscott, 1998), interactivity, collaboration, and immediacy (Skiba & Barton, 2006). The appeal of wikis to Millennials establishes the possible use of this technology in learning and work settings.
Primarily wikis are collaborative software tools that require groups to work together to capture, edit, and create knowledge (Wagner, 2004; Bean & Hott, 2005; Beldarrain, 2006; Mindel & Verma, 2006; Lamb & Johnson, 2007). A characteristic of Millennial generations members is the ability to collaborate together and interact to create something for the group (Skiba & Barton, 2006). Millennials also cherish innovation (Tapscott, 1998) making wikis appealing not only in the creation of the web-based tool but for the outcomes of using wikis to develop new knowledge that can be shared by all members (Beldarrain; Dearstyne, 2007). Wikis enable users to gather together in topical or issue-centric communities (Schwartz et al., 2004) appealing to the neeed for Millennials to practice inclusion (Tapscott). Further, the use of communal knowledge versus one-way communication from proclaimed experts in wikis (Bean & Hott; Cragun, 2007) Millennials become attracted to the technology due the characteristic of authenticity (Tapscott). Because wikis offer users several controls over the use of information (Beldarrain) it appeals to the independence characteristic of Generation Y members (Tapscott). The wiki tool provides Millennials the ability to meet the immediacy need (Skiba & Barton) through the tools quick creation, storage, and retrieval of information (Bean & Hott).
Need for Further Research
The literature supporting wikis provides opportunities for more research, quantitatively analyzing claims, identified themes, and suggestions for continued study. Fleenor and Rego (2005) discuss the potential impact on the quality and quantity of communication taking place within an organization and fail to address what impacts could be realized with implementation of wiki technology. Dearstyne (2007) suggests that wiki implementation promotes efficient communication, reduces costs, and expands business potentials recognizing that there is no return on investment established and more study is needed. Initial findings suggest that wikis support more effective and impactful knowledge management and formal workplace learning practices but no quantitative research supports this claim (Raman et al., 2005; Beldarrain, 2006). Bean and Hott (2005) claim that more organizations are adopting wiki technology to enhance learning operations but do not address the quantity of adopting organizations or the impact of adopting wikis on learning and work performance. This gap is acknowledged by Schwartz, Clark, Cossarin, and Rudolf (2004) who call for more research on the impact of wikis in learning organizations.
