Wiki uses in higher education: exploring barriers to successful implementation

Abstract

E-learning 2.0 is expected to address some of the problems which characterized the first generation of E-learning implementations. Wikis are among the most promising E-learning 2.0 tools because they require active student engagement which facilitates constructivist learning. The present article focuses on the use of wikis in a university education and examines the student perspectives related to this use. Thirty-eight students participated in a study which aimed to examine students' difficulties with a wiki implementation in an undergraduate course. By drawing on qualitative data, seven major types of problems that the students experienced with the wiki task were identified. It is argued that the reason why the students lacked the knowledge and skills to deal with the wiki assignment is because they were accustomed to traditional practices. The article is concluded with a discussion of how traditional practices and the associated learning epistemologies are incompatible with the wiki requirements which are more constructivist in nature.