Topic Overview

Wikis allow multiple students to share and collaborate on one or more pages of content. Pages can be created and edited quickly, while tracking changes and additions. Instructors can create one or more wikis for all course members to contribute to, as well as wikis for specific groups to use to collaborate. Wikis can also be used to record information and serve as a repository for course information and knowledge.

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An assigned grade can also be edited from inside the Wikis tool and the Grade Center is updated. Grades for wikis are changed, deleted, reverted, and overridden just like other grades in the Grade Center. Students can view their wiki grades in the My Grades tool.

Steps

How to Create a Wiki

1. Access the course.
2. Ensure Edit Mode is ON.
3. In the Control Panel, expand the Course Tools section.
4. Select Wikis.
   
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5. On the Wikis listing page, click Create Wiki on the Action Bar.
   
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6. On the Create Wiki page, type a Name.
7. Type optional Instructions. Format the text and add images, links, multimedia, Mashups, and attachments using the functions in the Text Editor, if needed. Attachments added using the Text Editor can be launched in a new window and have alternate text added to describe the attachment.
8. Select the Yes option to make the wiki available to users.
   
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9. Use the Display After and Display Until date and time fields to limit the availability of the wiki. Select the Display After and Display Until check boxes in order to enable the date and time selections. Display restrictions do not affect the content in the wiki, only the appearance of the wiki.
10. Select the Student Access option. Student Access can be changed at any time.
    1. Closed to Editing: Select this option when the instructor will be the only one contributing pages or to disallow further page editing by users, such as when the wiki pages are set to be graded. Wikis can still be viewed when Closed to Editing is selected.
    2. Open to Editing: Allows users to modify any wiki page. In a group wiki, a user must be a member of the group to edit a wiki page.
11. Select "No grading" or the "Grade" option and type the number of Points possible. Points possible will apply to one or more pages added and all edits by the user. Once a wiki is set to be graded, a column is created for it in the Grade Center. It is permanently gradable and cannot be set to No grading.
12. Optionally, select the box and the number of Page Saves required to show participants in Needs Grading status. Applying this setting will show the Needs Grading icon in the Grade Center and place the entries in the queue on the Needs Grading page after the specified number of Page Saves have been made.
13. Optionally, associate a rubric by pointing to Add Rubric. Rubrics contains more information about associating, managing, and grading with rubrics.
14. Click Submit.
    
    

How to Create a Wiki Page

Each newly created course or group wiki requires a first page, which is the home page. The instructor or any course or group member can create the home page. The home page cannot be deleted, but if the wiki is open to editing, it can be edited by any course or group member. The home page and all subsequent pages are created following the same steps.

1. On the Wikis listing page, select a wiki title.
2. On the wiki’s topic page, click Create Wiki Page on the Action Bar.
   
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3. On the Create Wiki Page, type a Name.
4. Type text in the Content text box. Format the text and add images, links, multimedia, Mashups, and attachments using the functions in the Text Editor. Attachments added using the Text Editor can be launched in a new window and have alternate text added to describe the attachment.
5. Click Submit.
   
   

How to Edit Wiki Content

Any course member can edit a course wiki page and any group member can edit a group wiki page, unless the instructor has disabled this function. An instructor might disable editing when it is time to grade the wiki pages; however, the instructor will still be able to edit student pages. All course members, including instructors, edit the same way.

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1. Access the wiki. The wiki topic page appears.
2. Select the page to review and edit. The wiki page opens in the content frame.
3. In the side panel, click the page’s Action Link to access the contextual menu and select Edit Properties.
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   Click Edit Wiki Content next to the page’s title in the content frame.
4. On the Edit Wiki Page, changes can be made to the name and content of the page. Additional content can be added also. Use the functions in the Text Editor to format existing text or add links, images, multimedia, Mashups, attachments, and link to other wiki pages.
5. Click Submit.
   
   

How to Add Comments to Wiki Page

Any course member can add a comment to a course wiki page rather than add to or edit a page. Comments provide a way for instructors and students to offer feedback and suggestions. Comments can be viewed by all course members. By default, group wikis can be read by all course members, but a user must be a member of the group to make a comment on a group wiki page. An instructor can change the default setting to allow only group members to view a group wiki.

1. Access the wiki.
2. On the wiki topic page, select the page to view in the side panel. The wiki page opens in the content frame.
3. Click Comment following the user’s contribution. The Comment text box appears.
4. Type a comment in the Comment text box.
5. Click Spell Check at the bottom of the Comment text box to check the spelling of the content before continuing.
6. Click Add. Click the Comments link below the contribution to view the comment.

How to View the Participation Summary

On the Participation Summary page, you can view a list of all student participation for the current wiki being viewed. The information provided can help Instructors understand how students contributed to the overall wiki content. This information can be especially useful when determining individual grades for gradable wikis.

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• Page Versions: The Page Version column displays all pages created and edited by the user. This allows the Instructor to see precisely how and what content the user-contributed and edited. If many pages appear, narrow what is shown using the Display Pages drop-down list on the Action Bar. A new version is created each time a page is edited. When versions are compared, the difference between any version and its previous version are shown on the Page Comparison page. Click the Legend tab to understand the differences in how one version was changed in comparison to the other version. The Legend tab provides an explanation of the formatting used to communicate version differences.
• Words Modified: Tally of any words added, deleted, or edited in all pages and each page’s version of the wiki.
• Page Saves: Tally of any time Submit is clicked on the Edit Wiki Page in the wiki, regardless of whether or not content has been changed.

How to Grade a Course Wiki

After a wiki is set to be graded, a column is automatically created in the Grade Center. Then, individual student contributions can be accessed from the wiki’s Participation Summary page. A user’s name can be selected and all the pages the student-authored and edited can be viewed to determine the grade. The Participation Summary page allows the Instructor to start at a high-level summary and drill down to the changes that an individual student made. The grade applies to the wiki, not an individual wiki page.

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Sources and Relevant Links

Creating a Wiki
Video- Adding Rich Content to a Wiki