Amy Koster, Alexis Hurdle Taking Presentation on to National Conference
Posted on 5/29/2009
Following a successful debut at a regional conference, University of Arkansas academic advisers Amy Koster and Alexis Hurdle will take their presentation about using wikis to the national conference of the National Academic Advising Association in San Antonio this fall.
Koster and Hurdle work in the Boyer Center for Student Services in the College of Education and Health Professions. In May in New Orleans, they presented "Wiki Wiki: How to Present the Same Ol' Information in a Quick and Student Friendly Format" at the association's South Central Region 7 Conference.
"The main objective of the presentation is to show how a new technology can be used to repackage material into an easier format that students find more relatable," according to the advisors' abstract.
Koster and Hurdle demonstrated the simplicity of the wiki format and its familiarity to students. A wiki is a collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content. Wikis are often used to create collaborative Web sites, with Wikipedia probably the most well-known one.
Koster and Hurdle also explained their development of a Web site using the Microsoft Sharepoint technology. The Boyer Center's Sharepoint site can be viewed at https://sharepoint.uark.edu/sites/EDUC/BOYER/default.aspx.
The presentation won the Best of Region 7 Award, garnering the advisers a $650 prize toward travel expenses for the fall conference.
"With the many rave reviews given to your presentation, I can tell you deserve it," wrote Pam Prescott of Southeastern Louisiana University, the conference program chair.
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