WIKIPEDIA LEARNING

Ananta Kumar Jena, Assam University

Wikipedia is an internet facilitated online reading material helps maximum for self-reading,
and high achievement. Researcher like Almekhlafi, (2006) and Wang et.al (2005) found that
wave based collaborative Wikipedia learning helps maximum to the student for self-reading
and group learning. Similarly, Wikipedia learning is a virtual learning medium help learner to
get online learning benefit. Wikipedia is online software needs log in for edition and deletion
of content regarding the teaching learning process. Wiki is a collaborative workspace in
which information can be gathered, shared, evaluated, organized or used to produce
something new. Wikipedia is a multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopaedia
supported by the Wikimedia foundation and based on a model of openly editable content. The
name ’Wikipedia” is a portmanteau of the words Wiki (a technology for creating
collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning “ quick”) and encyclopaedia.
Wikipedia’s articles provide links designed to guide the user to related pages with additional
information. Largely anonymous volunteers who write without pay write Wikipedia
collaboratively. Wiki is a piece of sever software that allows users to freely create and edit
web page content using any web browser. It supports hyperlinks and has simple text syntax
for creating new pages on the fly. It is a fully editable website whose content can be edited by
anyone who has access to it. Wiki is a great tool to use in education because of its numerous
features.
Wikipedia has following educational implication
• It is software, contents programmers those use for self-learning.
• Wikipedia is incomplete self-reading tool needs regular clarification, addition, deletion by
experts.
• Most of the Wiki hosting platforms are free.
• It does not require HTML or other programming languages.
• Anyone can access as well as manage with an Internet connection.
• Wiki is collaborative platform for students and educators involved in a learning process.
Steps and Example of learning

The author has randomly selected a school from the population for the experiment. Out f
three sections of 9th class of that school, he assigned the section A five students for
traditional learning, and five students for Wikipedia learning from section B. Those
participants where willingly attended the course.
Activity I
A traditional group having 5 students learn Cell Concept, structure & function of cell,
component of the cell of cell organelles through the traditional lecture method. The
researcher has pre-planned all the teaching points and completed these within 7 contact hours.
Before these instructions, cognitive styles, learning styles and science ability questionnaire
were administered among the students.

Method
Activity II How to read Wikipedia
School 2 was assigned Wikipedia learning to five students. The learners used cell (Biology)
Wikipedia through online (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_(biology). Students searched
and read the concepts like cell structure and functions of the cell organs through online
Wikipedia (see figure 1). For that purpose, the author facilitated them and helped the students
to operate Wikipedia, and trained how to enter different concept in search engines to find
these in the Wikipedia. However, learners used their self-pace in reading. They himself and
herself read and prepared their learning note for long retention.
Stage1 Read “Cell” concept in Wikipedia and identify other linked concepts
In the first page of the cell Wikipedia, students found different linked concepts like; living
organisms;replicate cell biology; cytoplasm membrane; biomolecules proteins; nucleic acids;
unicellular bacteria; multicellular plants animals; Robert Hooke Cell theory; Matthias Jakob
Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, and hereditary information which were hyperlinked to
search and read more information in their respected web address.
Stage1I Read more by clicking the hyperlinks
To get more information regarding linked concepts, students went through the hyperlinks
those were mentioned in the primary cell Wikipedia page. These were :https://
en.wikipedia
.org/wiki/living;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/organism;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
biology;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/replication;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
cytoplasm;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/membren;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
biomolecules;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/protein;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
nucleicacids;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/unicellular;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
bacteria;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/multicellular;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Robert_Hooke (see figure 2).The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application
protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermediainformation systems. HTTP is the
foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web. Hypertext is structured text that
uses logical links (hyperlinks) between nodes containing text. Different authors develop the
contents linked to the hyperlinks but learners read at a time more than related contents by
clicking in the hyperlinks.
Stage III Collaborative discussion
Learner collaborately discussed with each other and in the mean time, the author helped and
clarified their arguments through examples. However, the author experienced learners feeling
and understanding regarding the existence of cell, types of cell, compositions and functions
of cell. Students drawn the labelled diagrams of ultra structure of cell and diagrams of cell
organelles, and shared these among the peers for modification or addition or deletion of error
concepts. Later these diagrams generalized among the students.
Merits: Online reading help the learners to learn unlimited in his/her own pace.

Demerits: May difficult to remember unlimited knowledge and he/she may find difficulties
to understand concepts.

References:

Almekhlafi, A.G. (2006). The Effect of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on United Arab
Emirates English as a Foreign Language (EFL) School Students‘ Achievement and Attitude. Journal of
Interactive Learning Research, 17(2), 121-142.
Jena,A.K.,Gogoi,S.S.,Deka,M.(2016) (cell (biology)-wikipedia learning performance in relation to cognitive
styles, learning styles, and science ability of students: a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The Online
Journal of Distance Education and e-Learning, 4(2),1-19

Wang , H. C., Lu , C. H., Yang ,J.Y., Hu ,H. W., Chiou ,G.F., Chiang, Y.T.& Hsu, W.L (2005). An empirical
exploration of using Wiki in English as a second language course.155-157.