Wikis and Open-Access Education?

To the Editor. We read with great interest the review of Web 2.0 applications by Cain and Fox.¹ The tone of the discussion on wikis seemed skeptical and enshrined with “fear-mongering” as we have experienced with some contemporaries. As reported by Clauson and colleagues, Wikipedia is not a panacea of drug information.² However, authors appeared optimistic in the accuracy of information despite its incomplete scope for drug information. Wikipedia and “Darwikism” (socially writing and editing common knowledge among users) appears to be a good source to begin a wider search for a medical condition or education-related terminology such as “pedagogy” or “constructivism.” Though omitted in the investigation by Giles,³ content within Encyclopedia Britannica is written by 1 author, including only that author's expert viewpoint on a given entry topic. We in academia are aware of numerous ongoing debates and recognize 1 viewpoint does not reflect the “correct” or “right” answer to all problems. Through social collaboration of entries, Wikipedia appears to enunciate multiple perspectives if some only superficially (and can prompt further exploration by readers). Might Wikipedia be a post-modernist evolution of the modernist Encyclopedia Britannica (ie, including diverse viewpoints as opposed to a single viewpoint describing all truth in the world according to their authority)? In comparing Wikipedia with Encyclopedia Britannica, it should also be pointed out that errors in Wikipedia are edited by other readers relatively quickly, while errors in Encyclopedia Britannica do not change until/if a new edition is obtained.

In recent years, a related movement has been towards open-access forums for educational materials. While this movement was initiated within K-12 schools and has been recognized in undergraduate studies applications, little has been discussed or disseminated in the pharmacy literature. We commend this Journal for its continued efforts in making content freely available over the Internet for all pharmacy educators. The community property aspect of Web 2.0 applications seems a laudable impetus towards open-access in pharmacy education.

Michael J. Peeters, PharmD, MEd^a
Patrick J. Gallegos, PharmD^b
a University of Toledo College of Pharmacy
^b Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine & Pharmacy