{"id":686,"date":"2017-02-02T16:37:50","date_gmt":"2017-02-02T22:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.library.depaul.press\/faculty\/?p=686"},"modified":"2017-04-27T10:50:19","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T16:50:19","slug":"making-wikipedia-work-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.library.depaul.press\/faculty\/2017\/02\/02\/making-wikipedia-work-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Making Wikipedia Work For You"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wikipedia\"<\/a>Wikipedia is the fifth most popular website<\/a> and the most popular general reference. If you have an Internet connection, you\u2019ve probably used Wikipedia, and students use it as their first stop for research. But what if, instead of just consuming Wikipedia content, students\u00a0produced<\/em>\u00a0it? What would they gain from this experience, on top of performing the public service of improving a reference we all use?<\/p>\n

As a Wikipedian in Residence<\/a>, I can speak to the rewards of using Wikipedia as a teaching tool. During my own undergraduate years, I benefited greatly from Wikipedia assignments in the classroom and at my internship (even co-authoring a paper<\/a>\u00a0on it).\u00a0By assigning Wikipedia editing in lieu of a major paper or research project, instructors in any discipline can maximize the benefits of the course with minimal effort.<\/p>\n

Wikipedia editing projects support DePaul\u2019s learning outcomes<\/a> utilizing a platform that may engage students more than a traditional research paper. Students must identify and analyze tertiary sources independent of the subject on which they are writing, and make links to other subjects on Wikipedia in order to meet Wikipedia\u2019s\u00a0verifiability<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0notability<\/a>\u00a0standards. This requires mastery of content and intellectual skills, as students have to communicate clearly, in an encyclopedic style, and synthesize from multiple sources. Students have an imperative to provide accurate, unbiased information for others to use, building personal and social responsibility. Often, editing is a collaborative process, so students have to cooperate with other editors from around the country or around the world.\u00a0Ultimately, by editing Wikipedia as a class assignment, students produce scholarship that is public, free, and accessible.\u00a0By treating Wikipedia as an academic asset, we make it a better resource for everyone. And by assigning students to edit Wikipedia, they build skills that make them more prepared for success after DePaul.<\/p>\n

Part of my responsibilities as Wikipedian in Residence is helping instructors use Wikipedia in the classroom. I have taught in-class workshops on editing Wikipedia and evaluating sources, resulting in better preparation for new editors and smoother starts to assignments. I can help instructors design their assignments and help construct rubrics and evaluation schedules.\u00a0Although the initial stages of a Wikipedia assignment can seem daunting, I am both on-site and available virtually to help make this process simple and manageable.<\/p>\n

\"Peace<\/a>
Peace activist Liz McAlister\u2019s biography <\/a>was my first Wikipedia article using SPCA collections.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The primary service I provide instructors is acquainting them with Wikimedia Outreach\u2019s Education Program resources. Using Wikipedia editing as an instructional tool in higher education is a well-beaten (if little known) path. Wikimedia employees and volunteers have organized materials created from the processes and outcomes of\u00a0ten years\u00a0of Wikipedia assignments and projects. Besides intuitive brochures for instructors and students alike, there are training modules, technical tools, case studies, and more, all free of charge and expressly for classroom and educational purposes. To get acquainted with these resources, start with\u00a0Wikimedia’s overview<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is my main goal to help members of the DePaul community use Wikipedia to enrich their own learning in an intentional and conscientious\u00a0way. From my base in Special Collections and Archives<\/a>, I edit Wikipedia articles to increase the visibility of SPCA collections while supporting Wikipedia\u2019s goal to compile the\u00a0sum of human knowledge<\/a>.\u00a0I create new pages to reflect the diverse and interesting collections of Special Collections and Archives. The links and references I add lead to more web traffic to pages published by the DePaul community. I focus on adding content in underrepresented areas, including notable women, racial history, and social movements. On January 27, 2017, I helped lead One Librarian, One Reference (#1Lib1Ref<\/a>), a Wikipedia editing event for library staff.\u00a0In addition to my own impact as an editor and library staff member, I look forward to working closely with instructors and students. I know that the greatest impact I can have is by helping students, staff, and faculty share their scholarship with the world, via Wikipedia, the world\u2019s most popular encyclopedia.<\/p>\n

\"Richardson<\/a><\/p>\n

To sum it up:<\/p>\n