Integrating Wikipedia Projects into IT Courses: Does Wikipedia Improve Learning Outcomes?

摘要

Many college students are advised to not use Wikipedia in any class research projects. However, studies into the pedagogical value of using Wikipedia to achieve course learning outcomes have shown promising results. The Wikipedia Foundation established the Wikipedia Public Policy Initiative (WPPI) in Spring 2010 to explore its potential value to improve information literacy, collaborative learning, and student engagement. By May 2011, more than 800 students at 24 U.S. universities participated in the pilot project. The WPPI was renamed the Global Education Program (GEP) and expanded in August 2011 to include 60 American courses in many academic disciplines. This exploratory paper describes the experiences of students and professors in two GEP information Technology courses at the University of South Carolina. Using student and faculty reflections, this paper addresses the potential learning outcome benefits and the potential issues using Wikipedia projects in the classroom. As the first step of a larger longitudinal study, the paper also recommends improvements for continuing the integration of Wikipedia projects in future courses.