How would I use a wiki in Higher Ed?

If you are wondering (as I was) about how wikis can be used in Higher Ed here are some suggestions from the University of Washington-Tacoma.  Their IT group compiled various examples of Wiki use in higher ed here: Examples of Wikis in Higher Education

Also, the University of Delaware has some helpful information here: Wikis in Higher Education (UD). They have an informative PDF on the topic.  In that report, they discuss typical uses for Wikis.

1.3  Typical Usage of Wikis (What Wikis Are Good For)

Wikis are used to support a large number of different activities. Here are some of the most common ways wikis are used.

• Brainstorming: When starting a specific project or a creative process, participants are invited to add items and thoughts on a wiki. They are also asked to link all these random thoughts and concept together in order to stimulate creativity.
• Group project: A wiki can act as a private intranet for a specific group project so all participants can communicate, share resources (including texts, videos, spreadsheets, links, etc.), and write a report or a book together.
• Meeting support: An agenda for a specific meeting is posted on a wiki and participants are invited to consult and edit it prior to a meeting. The wiki is edited during the meeting to include was discussed.  Participants can later use the wiki to post missing information or follow‐up items. This technique is also every useful for training, presentations, and birds of a feather sessions during conferences.
• Make lists: From a list of best restaurants in town to a glossary of terms used in a specific field of  expertise, a wiki is a great way to organize this kind of content. In the same spirit, wikis can also be used to build an online repository of relevant documents or FAQs.
• Collections of links: Wikis can be used for social bookmarking. They give to all participants the possibility to post, comment, group, and classify links of all nature or in a specific field of expertise.
• Writing a collective letter, position, statement, web content: 
  When writing something that is intended for an official legal instance, to clients, to upper management or to the general public, a wiki is an excellent tool to reach a consensus, define key ideas, and write down the content to be clear and non‐offensive.
• Building a group portfolio: Any organization can use a wiki to post past projects, testimonials from clients, history of the organization, etc. This kind of portfolio is a powerful marketing tool.

That’s Great.  Where I can set up my own wiki?

Want to start your own wiki?  Here are some free wiki resources to explore:

• Jottit
• PBWiki
• Wetpaint
• Wikispaces
• Zoho Wiki (part of Zoho Office)
  
• Writeboard
• Google Sites (not specifically a wiki, but can enable group editing)

You can also look into self-hosting a wiki on your own server.  There are a plethora of free, open source wikis like MediaWiki, TWiki, DokuWiki and more.  WikiMatrix is a great place to refer to for information on all of them.

More information:

• Mashable.com: 30+ Solutions to Start Your Own Wiki
• Mashable.com: The Wiki Toolbox: 30+ Wiki Tools and Resources
• Wiki How: How to Start a Wiki

Are you using a wiki?  How are you using it? Do you have any suggestions for other tools out there?