User:Jtneill/Presentations/Collaborative writing using Wikiversity

James T. Neill Vanessa Lozancic Babic University of Canberra

National Students as Partners Roundtable 2023 University of Melbourne, Australia Friday 20 October 2023 (Online)

Google Slides

Abstract
This presentation highlights the transformative potential of open collaborative writing in fostering student-student and student-staff partnerships. The case study engages undergraduate psychology students in co-producing open educational resources as a learning and assessment exercise. Over 1,400 chapters and videos about how psychological science can improve people's motivational and emotional lives have been co-created. Wikiversity serves as a free, simple hosting platform. Key pedagogical principles include students as partners, open education, guided experiential learning, and self-determined learning. The project is open to the public and Creative Commons licensed. This enhances accessibility and contributes to the knowledge commons. Students are provided with skills training and support to learn how to successfully operate in a complex online environment. Scaffolding, skill development, and formative feedback are also key ingredients for project success. This project can also be understood in terms of the three students as partners Rs: respect, reciprocity, and responsibility. Respect is fostered by supporting student agency in their topic selection and by using a collaborative editing environment. This environment becomes rich in reciprocal interactions (editing and commenting) which are incentivised through academic credit for logged social contributions. The teacher's responsibility is to cultivate a supportive learning environment in which students feel capable of seeking support and providing support to others. Potential issues, which are framed as educational opportunities, include negotiating privacy, intellectual property, and individual versus collective work. Collaborative online writing projects offer real-world benefits over traditional essays in higher education. The principles and methods are adaptable to a wide variety of disciplines and educational contexts, offering a scalable approach to fostering student-staff partnerships.

Bios
James is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Canberra who advocates for use of open educational practices to empower students. Vanessa is studying undergraduate psychology, including motivation and emotion, and is interested in how student as partners practices can help her future career goals in the field of psychology.