As part of UTS Open Education Week 2026, the University of Canberra’s Dr James Neill presented at an online event on using wikis in open educational practices. James is an English Wikiversity custodian who has made over 70,000 edits(!) since 2005. He seeks to contribute open educational resources that are maximally reusable and editable by anyone via open wiki platforms.
Disposable vs reusable assignments
Before James took us into the wikiverse, he noted the distinction between disposable and reusable (or renewable) assignments.
Disposable assignments (e.g., essays written by multiple students on the same topic and read only once) are efficient for assessment but are overused and have limited empowerment. By contrast, reusable assignments allow for unique, open and collaborative tasks that can be reused, improved and showcased.
When created on open wikis, reusable assignments become living artefacts that students can include in their portfolios, share with employers and continue to develop.
Why wiki?
Much of the internet (Web 1.0) is ‘passive’ and designed for consumption. Wiki (Web 2.0) was developed as the simplest web page that can be edited by anyone, which makes it ideal for the collaborative building of knowledge commons.
To empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally. Wikimedia Foundation mission
The Wikimedia Foundation is a non-profit organisation registered in the US. A specific focus of Wikimedia is that it is an education hub that all learners can contribute to.
Exploring Wikiversity
Wikipedia is restricted to encyclopedic information so it may have limited opportunities for contributions and be daunting to newcomers. Wikiversity, a sister project to Wikipedia, is considered by James to be a more suitable platform for higher education. It offers a diverse ecosystem of wiki projects and is devoted to original research, teaching materials, learning projects and collaborative experimentation.
James demonstrated how students are taught essential skills in 1-hour classes such as editing user pages, basic markup, embedding images and structuring content. He shared examples where psychology students have collectively authored openly available book chapters, as well as article critiques, digital artist profiles and cross‑disciplinary resources.
He addressed common concerns around an individual’s page being changed (with potential for vandalism), privacy (which can be alleviated with an understanding of copyright laws) and whether the practice aligns with institutional policy.
Continuing challenges in this space are that:
- the motivation to teach openly is weak
- awareness and wiki know-how is low
- developing editing skills can be daunting (but is important skill for students to learn)
- institutional copyright policies can be archaic
- EdTech and learning design support may not be adequate due to lack of ownership
Starting small
James concluded by encouraging educators to create a Wikimedia account and explore what is available in their field. He also suggests replacing at least one disposable assignment with a reusable alternative, so it better reflects real‑world communication and collaboration. If you’d like to get more insight into James’s approach, this case study provides deeper context.