Discussion Group B2: Wiki Strategies to Support the Needs of the Institution


Based on your previous discussion and related points from the other discussion groups you should now seek to identify a Wiki strategy for your institution.

Possible strategies for providing Wiki services include:

  1. A large-scale enterprise Wiki service for use within your institution
  2. A distributed and decentralised approach, in which departments, ad hoc groups, individuals, etc. may choose their own preferred Wiki tools, which could be installed locally or use of free or licensed externally-hosted services.
  3. Use of Wiki functionality provided in other enterprise tools, such as VLEs, Blogs, etc.
  4. In-house development of a Wiki service.
    Possible plugin processes
  5. Doing nothing, either because effort is limited and prioritisation is given to other areas or a view that Wikis are of marginal relevance to the institution.

    We need to be clear about the requirements before we can determine the best approach.

Please address the following issues:

Based on your preferred approaches to the provision of a Wiki service:

Discussion Group B2: Notes

Would type of work determine what solution is adopted? Use of VLEs for instructional information (other than academic). Potential issues for external collaboration with VLE.

Support - we don't have the resources to support yet another institutional service. Organic nature - backup/archive.

Must have Buy-in, sustainable growth, good practice, capacity, migration.

User control - who is the gatekeeper. NOT IT! devolve rolls. Depends what it's for. What's the data? Keep user control fairly coarse - similar to other IT services. Impossible to monitor by policing.

Visual style - most institutions would want their own. How do we ensure accessibility of this user-generated content.