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Adding activities

Wiki

A wiki is a web-based system that lets users edit a set of linked pages: a well-known example of a wiki is Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia. In an OpenLearn Create course, you would usually use a wiki when you want your students to create content collaboratively. A wiki is not usually suitable for a course that does not have tutor support.

To add a wiki to your course you will need to have either the Course Manager or Teacher role. To gain these roles you would need to complete a data declaration form – please contact openlearncreate@open.ac.uk to request one.

To add a wiki, switch editing on, go to your course’s homepage and click on the + Add an activity or resource button.

This will give you a screen full of options. Click on the Wiki icon to open the New Wiki page.

Enter the name for the wiki and (if you require one) a short description of it in the Name and Description fields. If you want this description to appear on your course homepage just below the link to the wiki, you can tick the Display description on main page tickbox.

There’s a variety of settings for creating a wiki, each with a help icon that includes more information. 

  • Wiki settings includes options for whether you want to create wikis for groups or individuals, add annotations to wikis, limit the time that they are available, or add a wiki template.
  • Grade includes grading criteria, if this is relevant for your wiki.
  • Common module settings includes availability and language options, and is also relevant if you select One wiki per group in Wiki settings.
  • Restrict access includes the option to add restrictions, if for example you only want your wiki to be available after a certain date, or after a learner has completed another action. 

Click on the Save and display button to go to the start page of your wiki. A message will appear on the screen:

This wiki's start page has not yet been created.

Would you like to create it? 

This message appears on a View tab. You haven’t added any content yet, so the Edit tab isn’t available.

Click on the Create page button.

You can add content to the page in the Content field. Because this is the first page of the wiki, this would usually explain to your learners of what the activity is about and what they need to do.

If you add square brackets around a word or words in the Content field, [[like this]], it will create a link to a new page.

You can also upload files in the Attachments box.

Click on the Save changes button and you are ready to start using the wiki.

Note that the Edit tab is now available and that a new History tab has been added.

If you click on the link created by the text you added in square brackets, you can click on Create page to add content to that new page.

Below the start page are two new options: 

  • Add new section to this page, where you type a title for a new section into the field and click the Add button. Once you’ve added text to the Content field and clicked on the Save changes button, this will add a new section to the start page.
  • Create new page, where you type a title for a new page into the field and click the Create button. This takes you to a similar screen to when you clicked on the Create page button, above. 

You might want to use these options to create a further instructions page, for example about how to use the wiki and wiki etiquette.

Above the tabs on every wiki page are three buttons: 

  • Wiki index, which shows the structure of the wiki and if there are any missing pages. It also gives the option for printing the wiki.
  • Wiki changes, which shows who changed a page, including the date, time and number of words.
  • Participation by user, which creates a downloadable report of all user participation in the wiki, including grades.