Wikis are tools that facilitate collaborative knowledge sharing and can be used in higher education for assembling syllabi, group projects, and knowledge bases. They are easy to use, allow anyone to edit content, and support knowledge creation. However, challenges include tracking individual student work, dealing with intellectual property and lack of references, and motivating student participation. Overall, wikis enhance information literacy and learning through collaborative writing and peer review.

1. Literature Review Wiki / Collaborative Knowledge / Higher Education

2. Wikis in Education Wikis are convenient tools for collaboration, collection and reflection (Ebner et al, 2008). They are considered a tool that facilitate collaborative finding, shaping, and sharing of knowledge (Reinhold, 2006). For assembling a syllabus, for collaboration on projects, annotated bibliography, group authoring, or a knowledge base (Duffy, 2006). Wikis are an interesting tool for enhancing social constructivist learning environments (Nordin & Klobas, 2009). They are people-centred tools that can impact knowledge management (Brereton, Donovan, & Viller, 2003). Wikis can support knowledge creation and sharing within both the corporate and the academic environment (Lamb, 2004; Leuf & Cunningham, 2001; Wagner, 2004).

3. Why Wikis are Used? Ease to use, low cost, easy to learn how to use, and quick to create new contents. (Jaksch, Kepp & Womser-Hacker, 2008) Focus remains on the contents rather than on the software. Everyone has direct access. Anyone can edit or add the contents at any time. (Educause Learning Initiative, 2008) Facilitates writing as a process rather than a product. (Guth, 2007)

4. Strengths of Wikis Enhance teaching information literacy through ability to locate, manage, critically evaluate. Use information for problem solving, research, decision making, and continued professional development. (Orr, Appleton & Wallin, 2001) Reviewing critically the peers’ contributions improves the quality of content. (Taylor, 2006) The perspective of writing for a wider audience promotes collective authoring, which stimulates a critically peer editing. (Guth, 2007) Wikis allow its users to develop knowledge actively and collaboratively. (Jaksch, Kepp & Womser-Hacker, 2008)

5. Challenges in Using Wikis How to track students’ work? How to deal with intellectual property and the lack of references? (Lamb, 2004) How to deal with changes in the contents? How to take credit for an individual student? (Farkas, 2006) How to motivate students’ participation? (Cubric, 2007)

6. References Cubric, M. (2007). Wiki-based process framework for blended learning. In: Proceedings of the 2007 international symposium on Wikis. pp. 11—24. New York ACM Press. Duffy. P., Bruns. A. (2006). The use of blogs, wikis and RSS in education: a conversation of possibilities. In: Proceedings Online Learning and Teaching Conference. Brisbane. pp. 31— 38. Ebner. M.. Kickmeier-Rust. M., Holzinger. A. (2008). Utilizing wiki-systems in higher education classes: a chance for universal access? In: Universal Access in the lnformation Society. Berlin: Springer. Educause Learning Initiative: 7 things you should know about wikis (last access: 2010-11-30). http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EL17004.pdf Farkas. M.G. (2006) . Social software in libraries: building collaboration, communication and community online. Medford: Information Today Inc.. Guth. S. (2007). Wikis in education: is public better? In: Proceedings of the 2007 international Symposium on Wikis. pp. 61—68. New York: ACM Press. Jadin. T. (2007). Social software for learning collaboration. In Batinic, B., Koller. A., Sikora, H. (eds.) E-Learning. digitalemedien und lebenslangesLernen (Schriftenreihe E-Learning), Traurier, Lint, pp. 23—35. Lamb, B. (2004). Wide open spaces: wikis, ready or not. Educause Review Magazine 39(5), 36—48. Reinhold. S.W.(2006). Augmenting wiki structure for collaborative. Interdisciplinary learning. In: Proceedings of the 2006 international symposium on Wikis. pp. 47—58. New York: ACM. Walker, J. (2003). Final Version of weblog definition. JILL/Ext. June 28 (last access 2010- 11-29). http://jilltxt.net/archives/blog_theorising/final_version_of_weblog_definition.html