Myspace meets wikipedia at U of M
An online community for U of M students
PHIL COOK
September 5 saw the launch of a new addition to the University of Manitoba’s website. The Virtual Learning Commons (VLC) is an innovative online community designed to bring the people of U of M together.
Through a variety of features, U of M faculty and students can use the VLC to meet new people that share similar interests, gain advice from those with experience, and join in on a diverse selection of discussion topics, all on one website.
The creation of the VLC was a joint venture between the Learning Technologies Centre (LTC), the Learning Assistance Centre, Student Advocacy, the faculty of graduate studies, distance and online education, and the U of M libraries, with the LTC playing a leading role.
Peter Tittenberger, acting director of the LTC, played a major role in the establishment of the Virtual Learning Commons.
He notes that U of M students do not often spend very much time on campus. “They come to class but quickly leave, to go to jobs or to meet other commitments. My hope is that the VLC can help build a sense of community among U of M students.”
The VLC is built on “collective knowledge” — a concept that is used on popular websites like MySpace and Wikipedia. However, Tittenberger hopes to create more meaningful and interesting connections than those made on MySpace.
“Wikipedia is the most notable and obvious example of how extensive and comprehensive the collective knowledge of people is when it can be aggregated and self-edited,” said Tittenberger.
The VLC homepage is set up in a very unique fashion. Upon first glance, it may appear like a collection of random thoughts dispersed all over the page — like a “refrigerator door,” as a user under the name “Jairo_Dapyro” put it. However this section is actually a cleverly designed discussion board called the “To-Do List.” Upon logging in, students are able to participate in discussions on the various topics, and even add something they want to do to the list.
Current “to-dos” range everywhere from learning how to cite references correctly, to finishing a thesis, to meeting new friends.
The site is set up in such way that students can easily find peers that share common goals and interests. Once connected, the students can both offer and receive helpful advice.
Initial results have been successful. One early example was seen with a student who was looking for someone to help them learn Spanish. Tittenberger noted, “It was not much longer before another student responded and volunteered. Exactly the kind of connection and community building we were trying to enable.”
Though the to-do list is the primary feature, the site offers students other tools as well.
The assignment manager gives students an online location to log upcoming assignments and exams, and track the due dates.
An online writing tutor is also available. This feature allows students to submit selections from essays in progress, and receive valuable input and suggestions from experienced writers.
Preliminary feedback about the VLC has been overwhelmingly positive, as current users note on the site that they find it both enjoyable and helpful. User “webmastera” posted that “the Virtual Learning Commons is excellent. Keep up the good work.”
Though reaching the magnitude of Wikipedia is unrealistic for the VLC, Tittenberger said he hopes that through the active participation of students, staff, and faculty, a strong sense of community can be built at the U of M.
“I think that feeling you are part of a community, with shared interests and goals, is important to an individual’s success — in a university student’s case, academic success.”
The Virtual Learning Commons can be found at www.umanitoba.ca/virtuallearningcommons.
