Effective learning with Wikibooks
Associate professor Thomas Haslwanter motivates his students to contribute to Wikibooks to create a written record of his course. Over the past six years, a 200-page compendium on the subject of sensory systems has emerged and is freely available on the internet.
Thomas Haslwanter has always had a penchant for compact knowledge: the first thing he did after submitting his doctoral thesis at ETH Zurich in 1992 was to treat himself to a comprehensive encyclopaedia. Haslwanter is now a professor of medical engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria and is an associate professor for the Computer Simulations of Sensory Systems course at ETH Zurich. Over a semester, Master’s students from the fields of medical engineering, biology and neuro-informatics learn about the physiological characteristics of sensory systems, such as eyes, ears and balance, and come to understand the technologies that simulate such systems or use them as a source of inspiration.
“The function of sensory systems is incredibly interesting for research,” insists Haslwanter. “But knowledge about it is scattered in countless books from different disciplines.” His dissatisfaction, coupled with an interest in innovative forms of knowledge transfer, gave him the idea that students should write their own textbooks on the subject. Wikibooks would be the ideal platform, both collaboratively and on the internet. Unlike Wikipedia, Wikibooks are not encyclopaedic collections of knowledge, but rather complete textbooks on a specific subject, although the layout and functionality of both platforms are nearly identical. Haslwanter now offers about 20 students per semester an alternative to the end-of-semester online exam: the option to write a contribution chosen by the student on a topic from the course and publish it in an open-content Wikibook.
Quality textbooks for everyone
Since the release of the English-language Wikibook external page Sensory Systems – Biological Organisms, an Engineer’s Point of View six years ago, 22 students have chosen this form of assessment. In print form, the work now consists of 200 A4 pages. Underneath headings such as Visual Systems, Olfactory Systems and Sensory Systems in Non-Primates, a series of detailed sub-categories delve deeper into the individual aspects of the subject using texts, pictures, graphics, programming codes and references – for example, the cochlear implant: a prosthesis for hearing-impaired people whose auditory nerve still functions.
Haslwanter was impressed by the high quality of Wikibook contributions from the very beginning: “The students often develop a strong interest in the subject through writing about it and therefore invest a lot of time in the contribution.” The alternative examination method is also appealing from the students’ perspective – even if most make no secret of the fact that it requires more effort than preparing for an online exam. Many are convinced that the targeted exploration of scientific literature has greater long-term value than cramming for an exam; they also appreciate the fact that their compiled knowledge does not disappear into a drawer, but is instead available on the internet in the long term to anyone interested. Others simply discover the joy of scientific writing.
Perfect training ground for Master’s students
Haslwanter believes that Wikibooks have several advantages in terms of learning: “The students gain experience in scientific writing, dealing with scientific literature and publishing in a commonly understood language.” This is highly valuable, particularly with respect to a Master’s thesis. In addition, the students become acquainted with the perils of scientific publishing, such as the difficulty of finding a good, explanatory image that is not protected by copyright or subject to a charge.
The Educational Development and Technology (LET) unit at ETH Zurich also welcomes the use of Wikibooks and provides lecturers with their own internal ETH platform. “Wikibooks are useful for teaching because students can expand the learning materials themselves at any time, and the content is published under a free licence,” says Andreas Reinhardt, Head of Innovation Management at LET.
Extra effort for assistant professors
But although Wikibooks are very promising in helping students learn, they require a huge effort on the part of lecturers. An average of four students on Haslwanter’s course register to contribute to a Wikibook. “I am glad that there are not more,” he confesses. It can take up to two days, depending on the topic and quality, to correct and edit a student’s contribution from an average of 10 A4 pages. Haslwanter estimates that it takes a lecturer about three times longer to review a contribution than to grade an exam paper. “This makes enthusiasm for knowledge in one’s own field an absolute necessity,” he stresses. “There are no academic laurels for Wikibook contributions.” He also cites another condition for the successful use of Wikibooks: “Students must have a solid technical basis, some prior experience in research and a good level of English. The beauty of ETH is that these conditions are usually present.”