You may be aware that Wikipedia suffers its fair share of gender imbalance and that many are working to change it. Only 19% of biographies are about women. But the gender gap isn’t just about content. It’s also about the contributors who write that content–87% of whom identify as male. It’s important to bring women’s … Continued
The Van Gogh Museum had 366K in-person visitors in 2021. Meanwhile, the Vincent Van Gogh article on Wikipedia had that many views in one month alone. In an increasingly digital world, appreciators of European art young and old are flocking online to learn more. And they’re especially going to Wikipedia. That’s why we’re thankful that … Continued
Women are often the de facto leaders in community change, social movements, and political groundswells. So why are only 19% of Wikipedia biographies about them? That’s what Natchee Barnd set out to correct in our recent Women in Red Wiki Scholars course. In the virtual course, a group of experts spanning many disciplines gathered together … Continued
When women are exposed to women role models in science, they are more likely to pursue STEM careers and feel a greater sense of belonging in them–a key indicator for career longevity. Reading just one story of a woman in a successful career makes a difference for the confidence and performance of undergraduates in the … Continued
Wiki Education hosted webinars all of October to celebrate Wikidata’s 10th birthday. Below is a summary of our fourth event. Watch the webinar in full on Youtube. And access the recordings and recaps of the other three events here. For our fourth and final webinar celebrating Wikidata’s birthday, Hilary Thorsen, Julian Chambliss, Kate Topham, and … Continued
Simson Garfinkel conducted Wikipedia assignments in his Ethics and Data Science course at George Washington University between 2019 and 2022. He previously worked as a data scientist for the Department of Homeland Security and US Census Bureau. He is also a journalist who covers information technology, computer security, and privacy. Teaching with Wikipedia was a … Continued
Wiki Education is hosting webinars all of October to celebrate Wikidata’s 10th birthday. Below is a summary of our first event. Watch Tuesday’s webinar in full on Youtube. Sign up for our next three events here. Never before has the world had a tool like Wikidata. The semantic database behind Wikipedia and virtual assistants like … Continued
It’s difficult to imagine a more efficient way to celebrate achievements. “Wikipedia is one of the most-visited websites in the world, and the go-to resource for reference and background information,” said Christian Anderson who completed our recent Wiki Scientists course sponsored by the American Physical Society. “When STEM minorities are included in Wikipedia, their … Continued
In celebration of Pride Month, Wiki Education recruited participants, particularly faculty or graduate students in the LGBTQ+ community, for another Wiki Scholars course focused on expanding Wikipedia’s coverage of notable LGBTQ+ people. We regularly run Wiki Scholars courses throughout the year, but the way this course came to be was especially important to us. “We … Continued
