More than Just Wikipedia: Creating a Collaborative Research Library Using a Wiki

Increasingly, wiki technology is being used in education and business settings. Although most students are aware of Wikipedia, many do not understand that a wiki is a malleable platform that has a multitude of uses. Wiki technology is one of many social media tools that students need to not only become familiar with but also be able to effectively use. This paper advocates introducing students to wiki technology and implementing it in marketing courses. Specifically, principle of marketing students were given a short tutorial on wiki technology and required to contribute to the course wiki to create a collaborative research library. The collaborative research library was then used to assist students in writing an environmental scan paper on a product category. Assessment measures were taken at the beginning and end of the term. Recommendations for integrating wiki technology in a course are provided.