User blog comment:Mjb24v/Transferable skills/@comment-1687225-20121103160633

I'm really glad you asked this question, because I have given it quite a bit of thought myself.

My answer is, definitively, a resounding yes. My writing has improved greatly since I started editing this wiki. I am a junior in college, and there is a lot of writing involved where my classes are concerned. I've gotten consistently high marks regardless of topic, and teachers often note my conciseness and consistency. I've found that the wiki mindset of writing is particularly useful for writing memos, reports, and the like where conveying as much information in as few words as possible is at a premium. So, yes. I believe the skills I am developing here are transferable.

Could wikis be used for more formal learning? I believe that the best way of retaining information is teaching it. In the context of a wiki, that would mean writing about it. Would it be possible to get people interested enough to participate in a wiki about Chemistry, or Physics, or Mechanical Engineering? I don't know. It'd be difficult, but if a professor or student group could somehow generate enough enthusiasm for it, I am confident that it would be a powerful learning tool.

I have not actually used a wiki for academic purposes, though.