Wiki-Based Learning in the Mechanical Engineering Classroom

A wiki (derived from the Hawaiian word for quick) is a type of website that provides a framework for users to interactively and collaboratively build a database of interrelated information quickly and easily. Wikipedia, currently featuring more than two million articles in English alone, is the most well known wiki, but wikis can also be targeted to smaller audiences, such as an engineering class. Lamb, Parker and Chao, and Elgort discuss the use of wikis in an academic environment. They provide an overview of the wiki concept, address common concerns about wikis (e.g., copyright issues, vandalism), and present some of the associated pedagogical challenges.