Wiki FAQ for Faculty:
- What’s a wiki?
- Why would I want a wiki?
- How do I get a wiki made for my class?
- Who will administer my wiki?
- Who puts my students in my wiki?
- How do I give access to my students?
- I can’t login to my wiki; why?
- I forgot my password. Can you reset it?
- Why won’t TCC help me?
- Where can I learn how to use the wiki?
Answers for Faculty wiki wonderings:
What’s a wiki?
A wiki is an easy-to-create-and-edit website that allows users to create pages, edit content, add multimedia and post comments using a simple, WYSIWYG editor. It makes working together on a common project easy. If you can use a word processor, you can use a wiki Click here for Wiki Basics from PBworks, SNL's wiki provider. And check out this video overview from Common Craft.
Why would I want a wiki?
A wiki allows your students (and you) to have an easy to use website for creating community and working collaboratively outside Blackboard and across academic quarters. It's great for easily posting documents, images, audio and video that you or your students find and want to share. Click here to see how Foundations is using a wiki to foster learning and community. Or click here for Wiki examples.
How do I get a wiki made for my class?
It's simple. Contact Zoaib Mirza at zmirza@depaul.edu
Who will administer my wiki?
You will. To find out how, click here for the user manual at PBworks. Or click here to visit the How To Use Your Wiki wiki. We've gathered video and print tutorials there to make it easy to find what you need.
Who puts my students in my wiki?
You do. To find out how click here for the PBworks user manual, or click here to visit the How To Use Your Wiki wiki. It's full of video and print tutorials that show exactly what you'll need to do.
How do I give access to my students?
You have to add them as users. Typically you'll grant them Writer access; this means they can read, create and edit pages, post images and files, etc. You want to restrict administrator access to yourself or a TA, because Administrators can add and delete users, change permissions, change wiki settings, delete pages, etc. Click here to learn more at PBworks or or click here to visit the How To Use Your Wiki wiki. It's full of video and print tutorials that show exactly what you'll need to do.
I can’t login to my wiki; Why?
If you've requested a new wiki you'll get an email from PBworks inviting you to join. Follow the instructions in that email to create an account and gain access. Click here for a quick how-to-join tutorial. If you've already created an account and can't login, you need to contact PBworks. Go to https://my.pbworks.com/?p=forgot to have a password reset e-mail sent your way!
I forgot my password. Can you reset it?
No, but PBworks can. Go to https://my.pbworks.com/?p=forgot to reset your password. PBworks will send you a password reset email.
Why can't TCC help me?
DePaul doesn't currently offer tech support for Web 2.0 tools like PBworks. You should contact Zoaib Mirza at zmirza@depaul.edu for training issues or click here for PBworks Troubleshooting, or click here for the PBworks user manual.
Where can I learn how to use the wiki?
It's easy. Click here to go to the How To Use Your Wiki wiki. If prompted click the request access link. Or email Zoaib Mirza at zmirza@depaul.edu to request access. You can also click here for the PBworks user manual, or if you prefer seeing how it's done, click here for PBworks video tutorials.