Active Learning 2.0 or Wiki is not a 4-Letter Word

Abstract

This paper describes a project where open source wiki software was used to replace a course textbook. The setting is a senior course in management information systems at a mid-sized regional comprehensive university in the southeastern United States. Through a process of collaborative, active learning assignments, students in the class used the wiki software to facilitate the process of allocating topics, researching the topics, and then creating articles (e.g. web pages) on the class wiki. Using the tools available with the wiki software, the students integrated, categorized, and indexed the course content articles into a cohesive body of material that served the same purpose as a standard textbook. Because the students are working on the content for the wiki on a weekly basis, there is no opportunity to leave studying till the day before an exam. Plus the students like learning a new software system that is often in the news.