chapter Wiki Projects for Critical FOUR Thinking C ritical thinking is currently a key issue in the reformation of higher education. According to a recent report from the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU, 2007), critical thinking stands at the center of essential learning outcomes “that all students need from higher learning [and] that are closely calibrated with the challenges of a complex and volatile world” (p. Critical thinking skills cut across all subjects and disciplines, and enable students to thoughtfully consider, critically evaluate, and apply reasoned judgment to problems. Facione and Facione assert, “Critical thinking comes down to reflective decision-making and thoughtful problem-solving about what to do or what to believe” (2007, p.
On Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom, 1956; Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001), critical thinking is represented by the domains of Analyzing (for example, examining, researching, investigating) and Evaluating (for example, interpreting, critiquing, evaluating). Educators have employed a wide variety of instructional strategies to promote critical thinking, with a recent emphasis on critical writing, guided inquiry, and collaborative learning activities (Bean, 2001). Online, these strategies are most 79 c04.indd 79 10/11/08 5:20:17 PM Exhibit 4.1 Wiki Projects for Critical Thinking Analyzing Evaluating “What if. ?” scenarios Evaluation or research study Case studies Frame-based writing Debates Nominal group technique Collaborative research papers Structured online critiques often manifested through online discussion, individual writing assignments, and collaborative projects (see, for example, Conrad & Donaldson, 2004; Palloff & Pratt, 2005).
Within most online course systems, however, each of these can pose challenges to online students striving to engage in effective critical thinking. Online discussions, for example, support early stages of analysis and elaboration, but it can be difficult to bring the discussion to a conclusion, solution, or group consensus. Online group reports and writing assignments have been burdened by technology limits, which force students to divide the task and forward drafts to members, tracking edits through multiple revisions. The wiki provides a collaborative work space that can support a wide variety of critical thinking exercises.
Wikis are particularly suited to supporting critical writing and group research reporting. A wiki project can be framed to help stu- dents brainstorm, research, analyze problems, and collaborate to reach thought- ful solutions and decisions. The wiki supports users’ needs to organize ideas, conduct critical reviews, engage group members through comments and ques- tions, and come to a consensus concerning final outcomes. Wiki projects in this chapter range from small case studies to more structured decision-making mod- els.
Specific projects are listed in Exhibit 4. ? ” SCENARIOS Using “What if. ?” scenarios is a good way to introduce learners to collaborative critical thinking. You can use any wiki tool to set up these scenarios fairly quickly.
The key is to encourage learners to keep asking, “What would happen if. ?” 80 Using Wikis for Online Collaboration c04.indd 80 10/11/08 5:20:18 PM Purpose “What if. ?” scenarios allow learners to review a situation and predict what would be the outcomes or consequences should one or more factors be changed. Rather than reading about and accepting information as it currently stands, learners are expected to analyze a situation’s variables and determine the poten- tial impact if the situation, setting, assumptions, or inputs are altered.
You can use “What if. ?” scenarios in any subject area. For example: • History: “What if Hitler had not attacked the Soviet Union?” • Science: “What would happen if you added more heat to a sealed container?” • Business: “What would happen if I increased the number of salespeople on the floor?” Frame Home Page The home page will serve as a menu or table of contents for sce- narios in the wiki. Organize the scenarios on the home page by student groups or by scenario type.
Hyperlink to each of the scenario pages you have assigned and include directions and deadlines for completing the scenarios. Scenario Pages Each scenario page assigned to a group should contain the scenario details, as well as one or more “What if. ?” questions, to which the group will respond. Scenarios should be descriptive and realistic, and should include sufficient details for students to be able to identify variables.
If the sce- nario is based on a current event or news item, link to a Web site or blog entry with additional information. A sample scenario is provided in Exhibit 4. Management Tips • “What if. ?” scenarios are typically most effective in small groups of two to four students.
Decide whether all groups should work on a copy of the same scenario or if each group should complete a different scenario. • This activity requires that students first identify the factors with an impact on the current scenario before they begin writing. Encourage groups to share suggestions and ideas about the scenario in the wiki’s discussion or comments area before they work on a written response. Wiki Projects for Critical Thinking 81 c04.indd 81 10/11/08 5:20:18 PM Exhibit 4.2 Sample “What If.
?” Scenario Lisa is the manager of a small retail outfit. The store has a sales force of four- teen people, all of whom are paid on commission. She usually staffs three people during the weekdays and five people on the busier weekend days. The salespeople seem to be pretty busy.
She has noticed an increased num- ber of customers coming into the store. However, her sales are flat compared with those of last year. When talking with her staff, she hears several com- ments that many customers come in, look around, and then leave without buying anything or even talking with a salesperson. Lisa suspects that with the increased number of customers, her staff doesn’t have the time to meet and interact with them all.
What would happen if she increased the number of salespeople on the floor? • Depending on the time available to complete the assignment, respond to stu- dents with follow-up questions in the wiki that promote additional thinking. For example, “Did you consider. ?” or “Have you also thought about. ?” Additional Resources • What is Critical Thinking? Learn the Problem-Solving Skills and Make Quality Decisions.
Available at www.edu/Stu/sumusso/thinking. CASE STUDIES Students use case studies to explore in depth a specific, real-world problem, group, event, or question. Although they are often associated with business and the social sciences, case studies are becoming more common in all areas of study (Pyatt, 2006). Case studies encourage students to evaluate the strengths and limitations of a situation or problem, and to suggest alternative solutions and actions.
Purpose Select a case study wiki project when your desired learning outcomes are to build situational analysis skills and encourage students to solve problems and find solutions collaboratively. Case study opportunities abound in almost all 82 Using Wikis for Online Collaboration c04.indd 82 10/11/08 5:20:18 PM academic disciplines, providing opportunities for faculty to bring real-world problems into the classroom for analysis. The key to an effective case study is having an open-ended problem or question that may have many different, yet nevertheless valid, answers or solutions. Cases can often be built around current news events, real-world observations, or recently published research.
Frame Home Page The home page of the case study should contain an introduction to the case, links to guidelines for completing the case study, relevant case mate- rials, and each group’s case solution page(s). Guidelines for Completing the Case Study The guidelines need to clearly explain what the groups need to do to complete the case study response or solu- tion. They include guidelines for students to follow when researching, analyzing, and writing their case solutions. If possible, provide an assessment rubric iden- tifying the criteria that will be used to evaluate case responses.
(See, for example, the sample rubric in Chapter Two.) Case Materials Page(s) Organize supporting case materials on a wiki page with links to relevant news or research articles, data, Web sites, real-world arti- facts, and other sources of information, which will inform students’ analysis of the case. Supporting case materials generally fall into three categories: • Artifacts: These are simulated documents that provide evidence and details to enrich the case. The instructor can develop or collect artifacts. For example, if the case study involves a fictional company, you could include a description of the company, biographical information about company principles, finan- cial reports like quarterly statements, and more.
• Analysis aids: These include tools such as survey forms or templates, which the students can use to complete the case study. These materials may consist of several different pages. • Useful links: Links give students opportunities to engage in deeper research on the case, and can include articles, news feeds, and relevant Web sites. Case Study Solution Pages Provide a separate wiki or set of wiki pages in which each group can engage in the case analysis and build a case solution.
Wiki Projects for Critical Thinking 83 c04.indd 83 10/11/08 5:20:18 PM For online groups, it is helpful to structure the group wiki to support the research, analysis, and writing phases. This can be done with headings or by con- structing separate wiki pages for each of the following phases: • Research: The research phase involves finding and utilizing resources to gain a complete understanding of the current case. Provide an area in which stu- dents can share discoveries and insights regarding the facts of the case. Students may choose to collect information from additional sources, through online searching, interviews, surveys, and other methods.
• Analysis: Once the information has been gathered, learners need to sort through it to determine how best to organize and formulate their understand- ing of the problem. Provide an area in the wiki where students can brainstorm ideas and engage in problem analysis. To facilitate group discussion during this phase, make sure each group has access to online communication tools, such as chat and discussion forums. • Writing: The final outcome of the project for each group will be the actual case solution.
If the solution must address specific questions, consider scaf- folding this page with subheadings or stem statements to guide the organiza- tion of the final solution. Management Tips • Case studies work best with small groups of three to six people. It is typically most effective for each group to study the same case. This allows for follow- up discussions regarding the diversity or similarity of solutions.
• You can adjust cases to make them more or less difficult. For novice students, provide additional scaffolding by adding helpful resources and case materials, or by periodically releasing “hints.” • Case study projects offer opportunities for students to work with outside experts. Consider bringing in a professional from your discipline to provide insights and feedback concerning students’ analyses. Additional Resources • NTLF’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Case Studies.
Available from the National Teaching and Learning Forum at www.com/html/lib/faq/ cs-utenn. 84 Using Wikis for Online Collaboration c04.indd 84 10/11/08 5:20:19 PM DEBATES Debates allow students to explore opposing sides of an issue by means of a struc- tured dialogue. An organized debate requires students to defend a point of view based on evidence and reasoned arguments. Using a wiki to present a debate allows students to post, edit, and clarify these viewpoints.
Students in a wiki debate can add evidence to another student’s argument or clarify the language of an argu- ment, which results in a debate that represents students’ diverse points of view. An excellent model for using debates in a wiki is Debatepedia (www. This site is designed to allow users to create debates, present arguments for or against a proposition, and provide evidence to support those arguments. For example, a current debate asks, “Should governments be spending resources exploring space?” Debatepedia is a free resource, with which any user can edit responses and contribute to the debate topics.