New Levels of Student Participatory Learning: A WikiText for the Introductory Course in Education
Patrick M. O’Shea
Peter B. Baker
Dwight W. Allen
Old Dominion University
Daniel E. Curry-Corcoran
Newport News Public Schools
Douglas B. Allen
University of Denver
Abstract
During the summer and fall of 2006, approximately 260 students enrolled in an educational foundations course were responsible for writing their own textbook using the Wikibooks protocol. These students were surveyed in order to determine their perceptions of the process, how the process impacted their involvement in the course and its content, and how their perceptions of the Wikibook differed from their perceptions of traditional textbooks. This research indicates that students valued the process, and were much more involved with their text than when using the traditional bound version.
About the Author(s)...
Patrick M. O’Shea is an adjunct faculty member at Old Dominion University. Dr. O’Shea has held positions in instructional technology, assessment and evaluation in the United States and England and is now at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is interested in researching distributed learning environments and innovative uses of technology in instruction. He may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Daniel E. Curry-Corcoran is currently the Director of Assessment for Newport News Public Schools. Dr. Curry-Corcoran is interested in program evaluation techniques and methods as well as research design. He may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Peter B. Baker is currently a Ph.D. student at Old Dominion University and is interested in exploring the potential for Wiki development and utilization as an instructional tool. He may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Dwight W. Allen is currently the Eminent Scholar of Educational Reform at Old Dominion University. Dr. Allen’s research interests include educational reform, teacher education, curriculum development, international education, and educational leadership. He may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Douglas B. Allen is currently an Associate Professor in the Daniel College of Business at the University of Denver. Dr. Allen’s research interests include human resources management and the use of formative feedback in the evaluation process. He may be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
