A Wikipedian six years in the making
In 2014, I joined Wiki Education as Program Manager for the Wikipedia Student Program. Six years later, I can now proudly call myself a real Wikipedian! Though I had never edited Wikipedia myself before joining Wiki Education, I believed whole-heartedly in its mission of making knowledge free and accessible to all and was thrilled to be part of … Continued
10 years of tackling Wikipedia’s equity gaps
This fall, we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Wikipedia Student Program with a series of blog posts telling the story of the program in the United States and Canada. In 2018, Wiki Education launched a three year strategic plan whose three pillars are equity, quality, and reach. Equity, however, has long been one of the defining … Continued
10 years of pedagogical value from Wikipedia assignments
This fall, we’re celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Wikipedia Student Program with a series of blog posts telling the story of the program in the United States and Canada. After a decade of running the Wikipedia Student Program, we know why so many instructors are drawn to this novel assignment and why they return to … Continued
Spring 2020: Reflections on a term to remember
A time of transition To say that the spring 2020 academic term was unlike any other is a gross understatement. The pandemic abruptly upended normal life, and the students and instructors in our program were no exception. Mid-way through the term, just as most of our students were about to begin drafting their contributions and … Continued
Participating professor wins President’s Award for Innovative Teaching
Dr. Kathleen Sheppard has done it again! In 2019, Dr. Sheppard received two awards for her innovative pedagogy and her outstanding leadership at Missouri University of Science and Technology where she is Associate Professor of History and Political Science. She was awarded the Faculty Experiential Learning Award specifically for her use of the Wikipedia assignment in her … Continued
New application process for Student Program in Fall 2020 term
As higher education plans for a potential virtual term in Fall 2020 in the United States and Canada, Wiki Education is expecting to have an extremely high demand for our Student Program, where we support faculty who assign Wikipedia editing as a class assignment. While we would love to support everyone who’s interested in teaching … Continued
Looking back at Fall 2019: engagement, service, and excitement
Wiki Education now regularly supports around 400 courses each term. With thousands of students adding millions of words to Wikipedia every academic year, you’d think we’d know everything there is to know about the Wikipedia assignment, from what it takes to be successful to what students get out of the project. But each term brings … Continued
Teaching the Wikipedia assignment virtually: Let’s share tips!
If you find yourself teaching the Wikipedia writing assignment virtually for the first time, take some tips from instructors in our community who have done it before! Take advantage of support Use Wiki Education’s Dashboard. It’s already an online platform, complete with full instructions from beginning to end, including a “how to teach with Wikipedia” … Continued
Saying Goodbye to Jim Council
Here at Wiki Education, we’ve had the great honor and privilege of working with thousands of instructors since 2010, and we’ve had the great fortune to form deep and lasting relationships with many of our program participants. In July, we lost one of our most committed instructors, Professor James Council of North Dakota State University. Our sadness … Continued
A word from the wise: tips from experienced instructors
Running a Wikipedia assignment for the first time can be exciting, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. To help ease some of those first-time jitters, here are some tips directly from veteran instructors. Be flexible As one instructor put it, “It will be chaotic, there will be confusion. Embrace that and let the … Continued