Use of wikis in K-12 and higher education: a review of the research

Abstract

One of the many recent technologies to appear in the educational landscape is the wiki. Drawing on literature until end of January 2008, we review past empirical research studies on the use of wikis in K-12 and higher education settings. This review is organised into three topics: the settings in which research on wiki was conducted, effects of wiki on learners' outcomes and wiki usage profile. The conclusions overall suggest that most of the studies reviewed were descriptive and conducted in higher education settings involving participants from North America, and that past wiki research had been most frequently conducted in the education, and engineering and sciences disciplines. The question on whether the use of wikis can improve learners' outcome such as writing ability is unresolved. Students liked the asynchronicity and traceability features of the wiki. Students' use of wikis seemed to be influenced by four main factors: wiki usability, pedagogical issues, social environment and students' technical knowledge and skills. Several limitations of previous empirical studies were discussed. We conclude by providing some recommendations for future research related to the use of wiki in education settings.