For the ninth year, faculty at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) have come together to experiment with new pedagogy in their classrooms. Their group, the Faculty Community of Teaching Scholars (FaCTS), is funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation and provides a stipend for participants to explore that year’s theme. The theme for academic year 2017–18 … Continued
Over the past month, Wiki Education staff have been busy presenting at conferences and speaking with instructors about joining our initiative to improve Wikipedia’s academic content in underrepresented areas. I attended the Academy of Criminal Justice Society’s annual meeting in Kansas City, promoting Wikipedia assignments to criminology instructors. In the past, we’ve supported courses like … Continued
In early March, I returned to the National Women’s Studies Association’s (NWSA) regional meeting of directors and department chairs in Chicago. We attended this meeting for the third year because it gives us an opportunity to learn about initiatives within women’s studies departments and to share updated strategies and resources with highly influential faculty. How … Continued
When students bring a critical eye to Wikipedia, comparing its available content to their course readings, academic studies, and personal experiences, they’re often surprised at what information is missing. During their assignment to research a topic and write about it on Wikipedia, they remedy that information disparity. In Annette Nierobisz’s course on Women, Crime, and … Continued
This week, Wiki Education staff will attend the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2016, we attended the meeting in Washington, D.C., where we met dozens of scientists across disciplines. Their enthusiasm for sharing knowledge with the public was clear. Wikipedia has a far reach to non-scientists, and … Continued
Last month, Outreach Manager Samantha Weald, Classroom Program Manager Helaine Blumenthal, Director of Programs LiAnna Davis, and I attended the American Geophysical Union’s annual meeting here in San Francisco. At the conference, we spoke to dozens of scientists who believe Wikipedia is a valuable website for them, their students, and the world. We’re excited to … Continued
This week, Wiki Education hits the road to recruit new instructors into our programs. We’re thrilled to take on 2017 after supporting a record 515 courses and nearly 11,000 student editors last year. American Historical Association This week I’ll return to the American Historical Association’s annual meeting in Denver, along with Classroom Program Manager Helaine … Continued
Information about marginalized and minority communities in the United States often goes unmentioned in history books and popular textbooks. Women and non-European communities in particular may be underrepresented, misrepresented, or missing altogether. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Wikipedia follows the historical trend of disproportionately covering biographies of men, with only 16.78% of all biographies on Wikipedia about women. … Continued
The American Anthropological Association’s annual meeting takes place this week in Minneapolis. I’m here at the conference with Outreach Manager Samantha Weald to talk about how students improve the quality and coverage of public knowledge of anthropological topics on Wikipedia. In our time working with professors of anthropology and related fields, like through our partnership … Continued
