Reflecting on the Wikipedia Student Program’s Fall 2021 term

With the Spring 2022 term underway, we’ve finally had the chance to take a deep breath and reflect on Fall 2021. At this point, it seems like an overused refrain, but we know that the pandemic has continued to pose unique challenges to higher education. It hasn’t been easy for students and faculty alike, and we … Continued

Next week: Virtual talk on how to teach with Wikipedia

Teaching with Wikipedia can be an exciting prospect. An assignment with real-world impact that also helps students to develop critical media and digital literacy skills? Sounds great! As exhilarating as the idea might be, it’s also a daunting one. The very thing that makes the Wikipedia assignment so appealing — its public facing nature — is … Continued

Looking back at spring 2021 as we forge ahead

I’ve been managing the Wikipedia Student Program since 2014, and I can say with confidence that one of its greatest strengths is its continuity of purpose and positive outcomes for students and instructors alike. To be sure, each term brings its own set of challenges and learning opportunities, but during the turmoil of the pandemic, it was … Continued

What Wikipedia means to our instructors

Ask 10 people what they think about Wikipedia, and you’re likely to get 11 opinions. Few websites evoke the same type of strong reactions as does Wikipedia, and this is especially true within academia. From praise to disparagement and from open and full embracement to grudging acceptance to outright rejection, Wikipedia is a constant source … Continued

Improving Wikipedia’s coverage of Indigenous Canadians

Improving Wikipedia’s coverage of historically marginalized populations has long been a driving force behind our work, so we’re proud to highlight the incredible work of two classes from Fall 2020 that sought to advance Wikipedia’s content around Indigenous populations of Canada. Both courses tackled the systemic biases that continue to pervade Canadian institutions as they relate to Indigenous peoples … Continued

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