“Since Wikipedia is a public-facing platform, I was really meticulous about what I actually wanted to put in the article. I really went over my writings, over and over, and made sure that they were accurate and a good representation of what I wanted to add.”
– Ekaterina Schiavone Hennighausen, first-year student at The George Washington University
And to the benefit of readers worldwide, Schiavone’s attention to detail paid off. When assigned the task of editing Wikipedia as part of her coursework last term, the international business major decided to combine her passion for sports with the mission to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of women.
“I’m really big into sports and I wanted to make sure that there’s a section talking about the women involved in Formula One, because they’re such a huge contributor to the sport, but they weren’t mentioned at all on Wikipedia,” explained Schiavone.
Thanks to her efforts, the highly-trafficked article now includes a section with information about female engineers, past drivers, and other notable women involved in the sport.
Last month, Schiavone and three other postsecondary student editors from across the country gathered virtually as the featured panelists for our Speaker Series webinar “Beyond the Classroom: Student editors improve Wikipedia.” Although the four students had never connected previously, their collaborative discussion often led to the discovery of shared sentiments, experiences, and reflections.
Like Schiavone, North Carolina Central University graduate student Johnny Shanahan felt an increased pressure from the open, accessible nature of Wikipedia, but his uncertainty quickly turned to appreciation.
“The public-facing element was maybe a little intimidating at first glance, but it ended up being a huge advantage throughout the whole process,” explained Shanahan, who created a new article for chemist Joseph Gordon II. “We had partners assigned for our subjects, and it’s not always easy to write something with more than one person contributing. The platform itself made it really, really easy and helpful, and there weren’t any bumps in the road that I had in other classes where we had group projects.”
While Shanahan noted that he generally received positive feedback from Wikipedia editors, his fellow panelist Jianan Li experienced a rockier start to her work creating a new Wikipedia article about loneliness in old age.
After reviewing the constructive feedback her draft received and more thoroughly exploring the structure of existing Wikipedia articles, the UCLA graduate student set out to revise her text, rewriting the article in a more neutral tone and removing the argumentative style she was accustomed to using.
While Wikipedia already had a lengthy article about loneliness, Li was surprised at how little the article talked about older adults, given that they are at particular risk. During the panel discussion, Li expressed gratitude to the Wikipedia editors who engaged with her work on the new article, providing the feedback needed to align the article with Wikipedia’s style and tone.
“I feel this community is so alive because they are real people,” said Li, who ultimately received a special token of appreciation from a Wikipedia editor in recognition of her efforts. “They really make contributions to the articles with you, together. And on the talk page you will see a ‘thank’ button, so you can always thank them for their feedback and contributions that make this process more fun.”
As the panel discussion came to a close, moderator Brianda Felix asked the students to share something about their Wikipedia experience that surprised them. Brigham Young University history major Phoebe England highlighted three key areas:
“First, that I could even edit Wikipedia – I didn’t know that I, as a college student, could do that,” she emphasized. “Another thing was just how regulated Wikipedia is, and then the last thing that surprised me is how many people and things aren’t on Wikipedia that should be. It’s just insane the gaps that are there. I think this is such a great project for students because there’s still so many people and things that should be on Wikipedia that just aren’t yet.”
Schiavone, who was also surprised by Wikipedia’s regulations and editing guidelines, echoed England’s reflection.
“It was really interesting to unravel everything that I learned in high school about Wikipedia,” said Schiavone. “There are so many people editing and monitoring what’s being put on Wikipedia that it can actually be used as a really helpful source and not just a starting place.”
Catch up on our Speaker Series on our YouTube channel and join us for our next webinar tomorrow, March 13!
Persistence & Progress: Confronting Wikipedia’s gender imbalance
Thursday, March 13 (10 am PST / 1 pm EST)
REGISTER NOW
Interested in 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.
