More Than a Training Manual:Using Wikis to Get Everyone on the Same Page

Brian KoslowskiKatie McFaddin

Brandeis University

PJ DicksonBentley University

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Today we will cover…

- the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing a wiki for paperless training

- what resources/skills are required to get started

- how to launch, build, and control access to a wiki

- how this project has evolved over several years

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• Fast and significant turnover• Weak program and materials for training new advisors• Little formal recording of institutional memory• Information sharing cumbersome, time consuming

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“Will I Get a Training Manual?”

What Happens After Training?• Even as established Advisors we found ongoing challenges:

• Complex Internal policies/procedures• Depth of Information

• Things outside the norm• Responsibilities unique to one team member

• Efficiency and Quality Control• Email templates

• Easy Access to Information

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- Not eco-friendly- Not easy to link to

resources- Typically one

person’s project -Hard to find info- Immediately dated

- Available online- Free- Can control

access- Content is

searchable - Designed for

group input- Dynamic

Paper WikiX

Why Did We Choose a Wiki?

- Hard to search- Up to date info

exists alongside archived info

- Difficult to access off campus

- Not contextualized or indexical

ServerX

Edit Write Save

Starting our wiki required…- $0- Minimal computer skills- 1 hour delegation meeting- 5-10 hours of individual work

building and populating the pages

Additional page ideas…Staff vacation calendar

Kudos on staff accomplishments

Advisor home contact information

Meeting minutes  

Favorable conditions

Collaborative cultureLack of training materials and/or institutional memoryNuanced messaging/policiesInfrequent but involved processesIndependent responsibilitiesNeed to improve quality without sacrificing quantityThreat of turnover

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CollaborativeCentralizedEnvironmentally friendlyEasy to updateHolisticIndependent of a serverCommunal constructivism(Virtual) Community of practiceTrust

Benefits

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ChallengesSome people prefer paperLimited formatting Requires universal involvementRequires frequent updatingInternet-dependentSecurity--we don’t post student data

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We’ve learned that…Pages are born and pages dieSome things are not worth constant updatingSome people are more drawn to the wiki than othersEmail templates are universally loved

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Questions?

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