An ideal situation in any higher ed classroom includes both learning and contributing to the body of knowledge in the given area. Value comes from the concept of learning by teaching. I’ve often found that the more I teach a concept the stronger by knowledge base becomes in that topic. The preparation and research required to teach a concept becomes itself a learning opportunity for students.
Wikis
Creating a wiki, for example, is a creative way to build a body of knowledge, promote peer education and promote positive group or individual contribution to the target subject matter. A wiki can be an encyclopedic collection of content with citations, cross-references and comments.
Consider a wiki assignment coupled with peer review – with an author, editor and critic.
Glossary
A working glossary is another knowledge-compounding method. Term and concept definitions formally produced into a class glossary can serve as a reference and a long or short-term assignment.
Leveraging Moodle
Wikis and glossaries are easily constructed in Moodle.
A wiki module in Moodle is added to a course through the Activity pull down menu. Wikis, by their nature, are collaborative, with multiple authors adding and editing pages.
The glossary module in Moodle is also added via the Activity pull down menu. A glossary can be a collaborative activity or can be restricted to the course instructor. One of the unique features of a Moodle glossary is the auto-linking feature – terms in the course that are in the glossary are automatically linked to their corresponding entry.
Grading
Grading can follow the customary course of a term paper evaluation. Is the content accurate, grammatically correct, original or correctly cited? IS IT ON TIME? Does it effectively answer the question, solve the problem or demonstrate mastery of knowledge?
A wiki and a glossary are normally fact-based collections but consider analytical wikis that are more interpretive too. Examples include comparative literature, historical interpretation, cause and effect and analytical exercises.
For assistance with wikis and glossaries in Moodle e-mail itshelp@colgate.edu