Crowdsourcing: Student-Driven Learning Using Web 2.0 Technologies in an Introduction to Globalization

This review essay proposes a crowdsourcing platform that takes advantage of technologies that students are already using to generate an exciting classroom, to enrich the student experience, and to encourage a sense of global civic responsibility in a large introductory lecture class. After an introductory lecture on a problem, students choose case studies from a predetermined menu. This kind of “choose their own adventure” generative platform is a fresh, stimulating approach that is innovative and can be adapted for both on-campus and distance learning. In traditional lecture courses, the professor makes all of the decisions for what to study, but this platform can enable students to make those decisions, to gain responsibility and earn ownership, and to get feedback about their choices. Thus, students are not just learning to read what someone else chose but learning how to decide themselves what is a good case, what is a good source, and what makes a good course.