From college professor and nonprofit executive to writer, editor, and podcast producer, there’s no doubt to the breadth of Dale McGowan’s expertise – and now, to the benefit of all, he’s added Wikipedian to the list.
This summer, McGowan enrolled in an eight-week Wiki Scholars election course to bring his professional experiences and personal passion for accessible, nonpartisan information to Wikipedia. Throughout the course, he and his classmates worked to improve content related to candidates, voting behavior and participation, proposed laws, political parties, and other topics relevant to U.S. elections.
“I’ve had to develop both a knowledge base and the ability to find answers to what I don’t know so I can accurately represent the complex collision of politics, culture, and law in that sphere,” said McGowan of his work at Center for Election Innovation & Research, which helped build his confidence to edit Wikipedia articles with high readership.
When reflecting on his motivation to join the course, his answer was simple.
“Wikipedia is one of the greatest contributions to global civilization, period,” said McGowan. “A chance to develop greater skills as an editor was unmissable.”
During the course, McGowan created a new Wikipedia article for an event that had a profound effect on him years ago – the memorial event that followed the death of Minnesota U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone in a plane crash in 2002, just 11 days before he was to stand for re-election.
“That memorial, as much as the crash, changed the course of the election and impacted national politics in several ways,” said McGowan. “I was geekily delighted when the article was assessed as B-class.”
And McGowan’s editing momentum on Wikipedia only grew stronger after the final meeting of his Wiki Scholars course.
Since the end of the course, McGowan has improved articles focused on state elections, including Mississippi, Alabama, and New Hampshire, and added several new paragraphs to the early voting article. His contributions to the article’s lead section help readers understand how early voting over the course of several days can lead to a smoother election process than when voters cast their ballots on a single day.
While at first intimidated by the prospect of changing information on articles, particularly those with millions of monthly page views, McGowan’s editing jitters have subsided over time.
“I’ve added substantial content around early voting, voter registration methods, mail voting, the Freedom of Information Act, election security, voter-verified paper ballots, and more,” said McGowan. “I’ve looked at historical page view data, and many of these pages balloon 50-200 times in views shortly before an election. It’s gratifying to get accurate and current information where people can find it.”
Editing Wikipedia has become a significant and fulfilling part of his daily work, McGowan explained.
“For much of history, so much knowledge has been the purview of the privileged elite,” he noted. “It is terrifically rewarding to participate in the democratization of knowledge that is the heart of the Wikipedia project.”
McGowan encourages other subject matter experts to engage with Wikipedia, emphasizing the incredible reach of Wikipedia.
“Wikipedia is the most commonly-accessed source of knowledge on Earth,” explained McGowan. “It is the first result in almost every online search. There is no greater way to disseminate accurate knowledge of your field than by improving related content on Wikipedia.”
And fortunately for us all, McGowan looks forward to sharing his knowledge with Wikipedia long term.
“I’ve wondered for years how I might stay involved in the life of the mind when I retire in a few years,” said McGowan. “Now I know!”
Interested in learning how to add your own expertise to Wikipedia? Explore Wiki Education’s upcoming courses for subject-area experts.
Looking to empower your students by incorporating a Wikipedia assignment into your course? Visit teach.wikiedu.org to learn more about the free resources, digital tools, and staff support that Wiki Education offers to postsecondary instructors in the United States and Canada. Apply by December 1, 2024 for priority consideration for spring 2025.
