PepWikis Make Waves
April 9, 2009-Pepperdine University LibrariesThis semester, early adopters have been actively inducting the use of Pepperdine wikis into their professional and academic routines. With the use of these richly collaborative workspaces, faculty and staff have easily begun to benefit from the connectivity established through Web 2.0 and social networking capabilities.
The term “wiki” which comes from the Hawaiian word for “quick” is a very easy way to build and maintain a collaborative website. Whether used by a small group of people, like a class or department, or a global community like Wikipedia, wikis allow people to accumulate and share information.
The PepWiki system now supports over 120 wikis, which allow groups or general users to share communication, information and documents, bookmarks, blogs and comments, course assignments, internal policies, task lists, calendars, and RSS feeds. All of these features encourage both leaders and learners to participate in collaborative learning.
Another great benefit of wiki technology is that these Web sites can be edited by anyone with access. Users can create or edit this type of blog or simple webpage by typing into a Word document and clicking the ‘save’ button.” It’s that easy.
“Establishing varying levels of access and authorship while working within pre-established layout templates makes this a manageable task for everyone,” says Susan Gautsch, an avid wiki user at the business school.
Gautsch explains that many members of the business school faculty are using wikis to support collaborative class learning. “Many have also enjoyed embedding other multimedia resources such as Youtube videos and social bookmarks from Delicious directly into their course wikis,” Gautsch says.
Last year, the Confluence server-system was installed by the Pepperdine Libraries, with oversight provided by Michael Dula, Director of Digital Initiatives. “Wikis are one of the Web 2.0 technologies that facilitate communication and collaboration,” says Dula. “They are great for communication, shared documentation, and offer a means of engaging a group of students or colleagues in a collaborative learning environment.”
Gautsch agrees, that the PepWiki platform has been a wonderful support system for the Graziadio e-learning Web site. Those involved with this site and others enjoy the freedom to invite selected faculty and students to contribute to the learning process when appropriate.
Faculty, staff, and approved student groups are encouraged to set up both public and private sites. Interested users can contact Michael Dula at (310) 506-4965 or at Michael.Dula@pepperdine.edu. Check out PepWikis today at wikis.pepperdine.edu.
Last Updated: April 9, 2009
Seaver Faculty Colloquium April 16th at 4pm
Interested in what your colleagues are working on?
Come join us at the Seaver Faculty Colloquium, where each month you will hear about exciting new research taking place within our community.
Sponsored by the Pepperdine University Libraries, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Seaver Faculty Association.
Lincoln Hanks
Associate Professor of Music
Till Day Breaks: Searching for Transcendence Now in Art Music
Thursday, April 16th at 4:00 p.m.
Payson Library, Kresge Reading Room
Light refreshments will be served
Last Updated: April 9, 2009
Intersession Graduate Campus Hours April 17 - April 26
West Los Angeles Campus Library Hours
Last Updated: April 15, 2009
WorldCat Mobile app now in iPhone App Store
iPhone users, rejoice. Now you can find Pepperdine Library materials through WorldCat on your iPhone or iPod Touch, wherever you are. The WorldCat Mobile app is now available for download from the iPhone App Store. Non-iPhone users can view the iPhone App Store in iTunes.
Last Updated: April 29, 2009
