ITS Purchases License for Confluence Wiki to Enhance Online Collaboration

May 18, 2009

Enterprise Wiki Features Advanced Functionality and a PowerLink with the Texas A&M eLearning System

ITS has expanded the online teaching toolset available to instructors at Texas A&M by purchasing an enterprise-level, university-wide site license for Atlassian's Confluence Wiki for Wikis @ TAMU.

A wiki is basically a website in which users can contextually add content or edit existing items. Administrators for wikis can determine varying levels of access for users, so new or edited contributions are usually held in a queue until they can be reviewed before posting.

Wikis introduce a collaborative and social method for building up-to-date information and online file repositories. They feature version-tracking tools, threaded comments and discussions, options for adding attachments, and intuitive, rich-text editing forms.

Moreover, once content is uploaded, it is instantly searchable since the information is stored in a secure database. With a wiki, information is essentially centralized in one multi-user location and not limited to a single document that only one person can work on at a time.

Confluence features a unique conversion tool that transfers content from other wiki systems. ITS will convert and transfer all existing content from MediaWiki, which was the previous wiki system ITS had in production, by the start of the Spring 2009 semester.

In addition, Confluence connects with the Texas A&M eLearning System (Blackboard Vista) via a PowerLink. Once a user signs in to the learning management system with a secure connection, they will already be authenticated to use Confluence.

You can link content back and forth between eLearning and Confluence to build distinct content areas for your course, just as you would with a standard website. For example, your learning modules and grades would stay in eLearning, but your student group assignments and ongoing collaborative projects might be better suited to reside in Confluence, especially with its multi-user access and editing features.

"We will provide support and training for using Confluence beginning this spring," notes Carol Henrichs, an assistant director at ITS. "We are excited to offer this new tool to the Texas A&M teaching community and are eager to share ways for instructors to integrate collaborative online assignments in their courses."

Many instructors who use wikis also incorporate blogs in their curriculum. ITS provides Blogs @ TAMU (powered by WordPress) for Texas A&M students, faculty, and staff. ITS also offers one-on-one support and training for using blogs in your teaching.

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