Improving U.S. public policy articles
Access to neutral, fact-based information about the laws and policies that affect people’s lives is important for a functioning society. Wikipedia — a neutral source of information without a paywall — is a natural place for Americans to turn to to learn about U.S. public policy that affects their lives. In the spring 2021 term, … Continued
Changing the face of Wikipedia
The vision of the Wikimedia movement is to collect and freely share the sum of all human knowledge. All human knowledge, however, requires representation from a wide cross section of all humans, and in this area, we in the Wikimedia movement have work to do. The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia and other … 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
Improving Wikipedia’s coverage of women theologians
Richard “Bo” Manly Adams, Jr., is the Margaret A. Pitts Assistant Professor in the Practice of Theological Bibliography and the Director of Pitts Theology Library at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. I teach an annual seminar at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, entitled “Hacking Ministry: The Work of the Church in the Digital … Continued
5 tips to improve student experience with Wiki Education
Haris Mujovic is a Senior in pharmaceutical sciences with an emphasis in health sciences; Melanie VanDyke, PhD teaches psychology and co-chairs the Teaching and Learning Committee; Danielle Giffort, PhD teaches sociology; Tristan Frampton, PhD teaches music; Kendra Onoh is a PharmD candidate; and Elizabeth Rattine-Flaherty, PhD teaches healthcare communication and is the Chair of the … Continued
How Erik Olin Wright inspired João Alexandre Peschanski to become a Wikimedian
Image: Erik Olin Wright with teaching assistants in 2010, including João Alexandre Peschanski, far left. All rights reserved. As an undergraduate student, João Alexandre Peschanski had read several scholarly works by Dr. Erik Olin Wright, but he’d never met him. That changed in 2008, when João, who is from Brazil, was contemplating which Ph.D. program … Continued
Improving Wikipedia’s Islamic art and architecture coverage
The Book of Curiosities is an 11th century book of maps, star charts, and historical information believed to have been created in Egypt during the Fatimid Caliphate. It includes a rectangular map of the world that represents the oldest surviving map to use a graphic scale. Scans from the copy of the book in the possession … Continued
Expanding coverage of African archaeology on Wikipedia
Tassili n’Ajjer is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Sahara Desert in southeastern Algeria known for its Neolithic rock art from a period when the site was still savanna. With over 15,000 documented pieces of art, the site is exceptional. Before students in Mary Pendergast’s The Archaeology of Africa class started working on it, Wikipedia’s article on … Continued
Access to knowledge through Wikipedia
Art Blaser a Professor of Peace Studies and Political Science at Chapman University. He co-directs Chapman’s Disability Studies minor. My main goal in teaching, inside and outside of the classroom, has always been to enable access to knowledge, my own as well as my students’. Other goals include making the world a better place, and … Continued
My good deed this year? A Wikipedia assignment
Shira Klein, Associate Professor of History at Chapman University, has been teaching with Wikipedia for nine years. She recently took a Wiki Scholar course focused on expanding Wikipedia’s coverage of COVID-19. Even before Covid hit, I had no time for community service. Sure, I wanted to volunteer for a social cause, to do some good … Continued