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Preserving the Lore of the Corps: Sustaining a Knowledge Base in the Face of Student Turnover

Presenters:
        Sarah Jean Selzer, Pennsylvania State University
        Jim Leous, Pennsylvania State University

College students are a transitory demographic. As one class leaves, another enters, altering the composition of the campus significantly. While the dynamic nature of the student population invigorates a number of individuals, it also poses a number of challenges for those who employ students—one of which is sustaining a knowledge base.

In order to address this concern, Penn State University has developed a wiki for its student lab consultants. This group consists of approximately 100 student employees who answer technical questions from users in twelve computer labs across the University Park campus. In our presentation, we will present how the lab consultant wiki has helped to preserve occupational knowledge despite student turnover in addition to increasing student participation, interest, communication, and technological expertise.