Monthly Report, November 2017
Highlights This month we were excited to formally announce our 2018 Wikipedia Fellows pilot, where subject-matter experts from three of our partner associations—the American Sociological Association, Midwest Political Science Association, and National Women’s Studies Association—will work with us to learn to edit Wikipedia and make substantial contributions to public knowledge via key Wikipedia articles. We … Continued
A classroom assignment that “makes the world a better place”
Dr. Ben Karney was interviewed by Howard Blume on KPFK’s show Deadline LA in March, along with two of his doctorate students, as well as Wiki Education’s Deputy Director and Director of Programs LiAnna Davis. He had a lot to say about the nature of a Wikipedia assignment, and why, as a psychology professor, public scholarship like … Continued
Putting it all together: details of a Wikipedia assignment
John Kleefeld taught with Wikipedia in Spring 2017 as associate professor at University of Saskatchewan’s College of Law. He has since joined the University of New Brunswick faculty as dean of law. This is a republication of his reflections about a Wikipedia assignment, originally published at the conclusion of his Spring 2017 course on the University of Saskatchewan’s … Continued
Visiting Scholars opportunity at North Dakota State University
We have another exciting announcement for Visiting Scholars. We have an opening at North Dakota State University in partnership with almost 100 departments. Founded in 1890 as North Dakota’s land grant university, North Dakota State University (NDSU) is a Carnegie-Classified “Higher Research Activity” university. As a land grant university, there is a strong focus on … Continued
Wiki Education hits a major milestone on its way to enhance the trustworthiness of online information
For most people who – like me – have been born in the second half of the 20th century, printed encyclopedias were the pinnacle of authoritative knowledge. Their leather-bound volumes evoked respect and marked their owner as both affluent and as a person of intellect. Taking a few steps over to the book case in … Continued
Contributing political science knowledge to our collective conscious
Dr. Royal G. Cravens, III is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Bowling Green State University. He recently participated in our Wikipedia Fellows pilot, an opportunity for subject-matter experts to learn how to contribute to Wikipedia. Dr. Cravens is a member of the Midwest Political Science Association, one of the three associations that collaborated with … Continued
New resource for students in science communication courses!
Students have improved a number of different scientific topics on Wikipedia, including conservation biology, voice disorders, environmental policy, medicine, and more! Communicating scientific topics to a general reader, who may not have any scientific background, requires students to master course material and speak with authority on a topic they’re studying. Students are uniquely positioned to translate scientific concepts, as … Continued
How students are helping to curb misinformation, an interview with WMNF
Wiki Education’s Executive Director Frank Schulenburg was featured on listener-supported community radio station, WMNF, along with Laura Runge, a professor of English at the University of South Florida, and her student Elizabeth Ricketts. Laura is an instructor in our Classroom Program, and taught with Wikipedia in her course last fall, Jane Austen Bits to Bytes. In the … Continued
How students can help inform the public about conservation
When students learn to edit Wikipedia as a course assignment, they make research available to a worldwide audience and improve a resource that millions use daily. Considering that people look to Wikipedia to make behavioral and political decisions, ensuring that the information they find is accurate is an important task. Students have done some great work … Continued
A day in the life: working online and in-person to expand the reach of Wiki Education programs
According to Wikipedia’s article about Higher education in the United States (citing the National Center for Education Statistics), there were 4,627 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the US in 2015. Since Wiki Education was founded in 2014, we’ve worked with 553 institutions where instructors have asked their students to improve Wikipedia as part of an in-class research project. Our … Continued