Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Andragogical Approach To Developing Dialogic Learning Through Wikis, Brian J. Bowe, Jennifer Hoewe, Geri Alumit Zeldes

Brian J. Bowe

This article examines the effectiveness of using wikis for collaborative projects in college journalism classrooms, with the principles of andragogy as a framework. The use of wikis in two journalism courses at a large university in the American Midwest illustrates how wikis can encourage learners to become more self-directed by engaging in online collaborative writing about how best to produce reports about diverse populations. Two case studies are related to journalistic best practices in the coverage of two sensitive topics: Islam and immigration. The content of these wikis was compiled into best-practices documents that informed the students’ subsequent coursework. The …