What ecologists and Wikipedians actually have in common
“Hi, how are you? Do you want to learn about Wikipedia and education?” It may be pretty simple, sure, but that’s the phrase I said over and over at the Ecological Society of America’s annual meeting. As it turns out, many people did want to learn more. I spoke to biogeochemists, dendrologists, and limnologists, graduate … Continued
Students and professionals make Wikipedia more inclusive of women in STEM
What does it mean to have scientists of diverse identities represented in the largest, most-accessed encyclopedia worldwide? It means… scientists besides white men are historically recognized for their role in the advancement of STEM fields. correcting the stereotype of “what a scientist looks like” (did you think man with a lab coat when I said … Continued
Writing women back into tech history
Have you heard about Virginia Tucker? She was one of the first “human computers” in space engineering history. What about Katheryn Emanuel Lawson? She was one of the first female African American chemists who worked in Sandia National Laboratories. Or how about Margaret Hilda Harper? She was “one of the two physicians who described that coeliac disease in the pancreas and … Continued
Bringing the history of Arab cinema to Wikipedia
Since its creation, film has long since been used to transmit stories, ideas, imagery, and feelings. An ethnologist or sociologist would also identify it as a cultural artifact, as film is ideal for both reflecting a given culture as well as impacting it. For some, film provides a rare chance to evade the censorship and … Continued
Are the MacArthur ‘Genius’ grant winners represented on Wikipedia?
On Wednesday, the MacArthur ‘Genius’ grants were announced for 2019. The Wikipedian part of my brain, the part that I can’t turn off anymore, immediately wanted to update the Wikipedia article for the Fellowship with the most recent awardees, linking to the biographies that already existed and highlighting which still needed to be created. I already … 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
Law students add nuance to Wikipedia articles about famous cases
This past winter Stanford Law instructor Beth Williams guided her students as they created or edited articles on topics dealing with Advanced Legal Research, ranging from articles about the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 to PGE v. Bureau of Labor and Industries. These and the following articles are only a portion of the good work that … 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
Public archaeology at its most effective
“Wikipedia’s popularity and reach mean that archaeologists should actively engage with the website by adding and improving archaeological content.” Academia is changing its mind about Wikipedia. Peer-reviewed research studies published in the last few years have found value in teaching students how to evaluate the site, rather than turning them away from using it altogether. One … Continued
New Dashboard feature simplifies student peer review
Wiki Education launched the Dashboard in 2015 and it has truly been a game changer for instructors and students running Wikipedia assignments. Since that time, we’ve been steadily improving the Dashboard so that instructors can more easily facilitate their Wikipedia assignments; students can make meaningful and lasting contributions to Wikipedia; and so we here at … Continued