Students develop skills for a chosen career in STEM through Wikipedia

For students hoping to pursue medical careers, distilling science into plain language for a general audience is an invaluable skill. Collaborating with peers about how best to communicate important concepts is also important. And practicing writing these explanations for a real-live audience of thousands is even better. When students learn to adapt course content and … Continued

Jumping for science: how Wikipedia assignments inspire STEM students

You’ve seen this spider, right? It lives in close proximity to humans and is one of the most common spiders in North America. You may have even Googled it to see if it’s poisonous, whether you knew the name or not. If you typed something like “spider with orange spots” into the search bar, you … Continued

What a Wikipedia assignment looks like day-to-day

Can’t get enough of other instructors’ experiences with the Wikipedia assignment? Dr. Laura Ingallinella of the University of Toronto has just published an excellent journal article in the Bibliotheca Dantesca: Journal of Dante Studies that details her successes, challenges, and learnings incorporating Wikipedia editing into her teaching at Wellesley College. Dr. Ingallinella outlines the benefits … Continued

The Future of Data: a community that grows together stays together

Wiki Education hosted webinars all of October to celebrate Wikidata’s 10th birthday. Below is a summary of our fourth event. Watch the webinar in full on Youtube. And access the recordings and recaps of the other three events here. For our fourth and final webinar celebrating Wikidata’s birthday, Hilary Thorsen, Julian Chambliss, Kate Topham, and … Continued

UMich students represent human side of the climate crisis through Wikipedia

One dominant narrative around the climate crisis is that it’s primarily an energy problem. If we invested in the right technology, if we transitioned to cleaner systems, and if we did it fast enough, we could solve it. But many social scientists would say that that’s too narrow a focus for a problem so large-scale … Continued

Learn from each other: journal article walks through Wikipedia assignment

If you’re looking for a research-backed, step-by-step account of the benefits of a Wikipedia assignment, look no further than the latest issue of the Computers and Composition Online Journal. Helen Choi, of the University of Southern California, and Malavika Shetty, of Boston University, co-authored the piece after meeting through Wiki Education’s blog. Since Spring 2019, … Continued

Grad student wins Outstanding Teaching Award for Wikipedia assignment

What if instead of telling students not to cite Wikipedia, you had them write it? Kaylea Champion has experienced the “Wikipedia assignment” as both student and teacher, and to rousing success. Her PhD coursework has included Wikipedia editing and her students nominated her for a graduate teaching award for her work supporting them in completing … Continued

Ensuring pop culture articles on Wikipedia include the latest in disability research

College is an important time in a student’s life. Many are figuring out what they think of the world and their place in it, and considering their future career. Classwork that gives students autonomy, empowers them to take part in important conversations on a global scale, and gives them a voice in their own schooling … Continued

Integrating student interests and career aspirations with coursework

Are you looking for an assignment where students: can integrate their interests and career aspirations with course content feel empowered as knowledge creators strengthen digital literacy skills embody the principles of inclusivity and equity while producing classwork If you answered yes to any of the above, hear what Hannah Yang, a third-year student at Northwestern, … Continued