What is a wiki and how do I add one to my course?

A course Wiki is a collaborative writing activity that essentially allows students to work together to create their own website that lives within Echo. Students can create a Wiki as a class, or they can create a Wiki as a group.

Example:

Students have a project they are working on in a Chemistry course. Students are working on the project in groups. Their final product is a Wiki within Echo that shows their shared knowledge on the subject of focus. Or, students might use a Wiki to compile information they will need on the subject matter in order to complete their project.

When using a Wiki in a course, facilitators can:

• Create a Wiki activity as a group assignment. Each student in the group will get the same grade for the work done within the Wiki (unless students within a group deserve a different grade)
• See the history of the Wiki to be sure each group member is contributing
• Create a Wiki activity as an individual assignment
• Grade a Wiki

To add a Wiki, enter a course through the Editor tool.

Click  +Add Activity.

Click Wiki.

Within the Wiki activity there are 2 tabs:

• Activity
• Settings

 Within the Activity tab:

1. Give the Wiki a title.
2. Add a thumbnail.
3. Add content you would like to be visible to the students.
4. Add instructions.
5. If needed, add an attachment.  

Within the Settings tab:

1. Activity settings:

Allows teachers to set a due date and time as well as set late submission rules. Students will not be able to submit assignments after the due date unless the Allow late submissions box is checked. A teacher can also designate a student grouping if groups have been defined in the course. When this option is selected, only one student in each group is required to submit the activity and all students in the group will receive the same grade.

2. Gradebook Settings:

Where points possible can be established.

• Any activity can be made "Gradable," but depending on the activity type, the points possible may not be enabled by default. To make an item gradable and enter points, check the "this activity is gradable" box.
• This setting also allows for options like making it an extra credit activity.

3. Objective Mastery

Align selected course standards to the activity (if the course has a defined list of objectives). This allows teachers to track student performance against the standards in the gradebook. To learn more about associating activities with objectives, click here.

4. Visibility and access:

Set visibility options and access rules.

5. Badges:

Badges can be used to automatically assign a specific badge to students who complete the activity. Badges must be configured in the course settings in order to be selected. Click here to learn more about badges.

6. Metadata:

Description for course author, or an idea of how this activity fits into the goal of the course or the "big picture." CRA and IAKT activity tags can also be used for reporting purposes.

7. Advanced gradebook options:

Within the advanced gradebook options you have the option to adjust passing score, minimum points possible, visibility dates and more.

8. Advanced activity options:

Within the advanced visibility options you have the option to adjust when activity is considered complete, if studnets must complete this assignment before moving on to the next, where the assignment will appear in the course and more.