When students write women scientists into Wikipedia
What can students do to fix Wikipedia’s gender gap? Turns out they can do a lot. University and college instructors who use our resources to teach Wikipedia writing assignments have their students work on a diverse range of subjects on Wikipedia — from anthropology to zoology. Not only do students expand Wikipedia’s coverage of academic topics … Continued
Last chance to sign up for July Wikidata courses!
Like Wikipedia, Wikidata is a collaborative online community that organizes knowledge and presents it to the world for free. This global repository is important for so many reasons, chiefly among them that the data stored in Wikidata is machine readable. That means when you ask Alexa or Siri a question, it’s likely that the answer is coming … Continued
Making healthcare more accessible through translation
Kitty Quintanilla is a second year medical student at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. Here, she shares why she’s passionate about increasing access to free information. Have you ever had your parents ramble at you about the “when I was young, we didn’t have all these computers and the internet and … Continued
Wikipedia didn’t tell the full story of the 19th Amendment…
History books often focus on the white change-makers of the suffrage movement. Until last month, it was no different on Wikipedia. The article documenting the Nineteenth Amendment, which prohibited governments from discriminating against voters on the basis of sex, not only centered the narrative on white people, but on white men. In order to ensure … Continued
So you’re looking for fulfilling professional development…
It’s the last week to register for our upcoming online course in collaboration with the National Archives! Join a network of scholars who want to hone career skills while making Wikipedia more representative of all history. What will I learn in the course? Our course will help you achieve the key career diversity skills that academics with PhDs … Continued
Professor named Woman of the Year for student-centered, equity-focused pedagogy
When your students, colleagues, and institution all recognize you for your teaching, that’s huge. In January, Dr. Kathleen Sheppard of Missouri University of Science and Technology won a teaching award for having her students write for Wikipedia as an assignment. Now, Missouri S&T has also named her their 2019 Woman of the Year for her “willingness to engage actively in issues … Continued
Collaborating with others in the Wikimedia movement
A few weeks ago, I was honored to travel to Europe where I participated in two conferences related to the broader Wikimedia movement: The Wikimedia Summit in Berlin and the Wikimedia + Education Conference in Donostia. Wiki Education is one of the largest organizations in the Wikimedia movement in terms of both budget and number … Continued
Employee inspired by students and scholars to write about women
As an employee of Wiki Education for six months now, it’s impossible not to be inspired. Our participants in the Student Program have added over 47 million words to Wikipedia since our organization began. They bludgeon away at content gaps across the site like Thor’s mighty hammer itself! And our participants in our professional development courses contribute by bringing … Continued
Women’s Suffrage: My Wiki Life
Eilene Lyon is a Colorado-based freelance writer specializing in historical non-fiction, and an avid genealogist. Eilene learned how to create and expand Wikipedia articles in our professional development course as a way to give back to society and ensure that accurate information is being presented in a well-written format. This is a republishing of her … Continued
These scientists are improving the public’s knowledge of science
When members of the public read of a new astronomical discovery, learn about a unique endangered animal, fact-check claims about climate change, or educate themselves about an illness, Wikipedia is often their first stop. The encyclopedia that anyone can edit provides a wealth of information on a wide range of topic areas, but also presents many opportunities … Continued