# Wikipedia and Academic Libraries: A Global Project/Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5
AUTHENTIC LEARNING IN CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY: EDITING WIKIPEDIA FOR REAL-WORLD IMPACT
Jessica L. Lott and Jennifer L. Sullivan
1 Northern Kentucky University, 2 Upstate Medical University
Abstract
Jennifer L. Sullivan (academic librarian) and Jessica Lott (anthropology professor) are invested in pedagogical approaches that help learners apply course content to their everyday lives. With this goal in mind, we created a ﬂexible Wikipedia-based assignment for an upper-level anthropology course, Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: A Global Perspective, as a way to teach information literacy skills in a real-world setting while also enriching course content. As the course’s culminating assignment, learners researched an information gap on Wikipedia addressing gender. Learners were also asked to use their experience on Wikipedia to reﬂect on the significance of the documented gender bias in Wikipedia.
This chapter discusses the advantages of Wikipedia as a platform for cultivating authentic information literacy practices. In particular, we address ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, information literacy as a social justice imperative, and disciplinary information literacy. We taught this assignment four times over the period summer 2017–summer ​2020 and draw from our experiences collaborating on this assignment. We hope that learning from our successes and failures will inspire those who wish to adapt it for their instruction.
Keywords
Active learning, Wikipedia, Information literacy, Social justice, Gender, Teaching methods, Instruction, Collaboration, Cultural anthropology.
Introduction
How can we empower our learners to share their work in a meaningful way and position our learners’ hard work to make a difference outside of the classroom? In 2017, Jessica (anthropology professor) and Jennifer (academic librarian) set out to address these questions in Jessica’s upper-level anthropology course at Southern Methodist University (SMU), a private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States. We asked learners in our class to contribute to a Wikipedia article as the culminating class assignment. We loved that the assignment motivated learners to deeply engage with information literacy and cultural anthropology because they valued Wikipedia as a public resource and felt responsible for adding accurate content.
Jessica’s course, Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: A Global Perspective, fulfilled an information literacy requirement in the university curriculum, so we pursued and won a stipend funded through the university library. The stipend was created by the SMU Libraries to encourage faculty/librarian partnerships in assignment design and implementation. The faculty member received a one-time stipend of $1,000. While the librarian did not receive a stipend, they enjoyed an enhanced reputation at the library, increased recognition on campus, and opportunities to collaborate with additional faculty members.
In this chapter, we will share our process of collaborating to develop and implement an assignment asking learners to contribute content to a Wikipedia page. We begin by situating our work in the literature on Wikipedia in higher education and on librarian-faculty collaboration. We go on to illustrate why editing Wikipedia provides unique opportunities for ​teaching information literacy and contextualize our assignment in terms of social justice and feminist pedagogy. We conclude with a discussion of lessons learned and possibilities for modifying this assignment for other course contexts. It is our sincere hope that by sharing our journey, we can offer a tangible approach for those who wish to use Wikipedia in the classroom but have yet felt equipped to try.
Literature Review
Editing Wikipedia in Higher Education Classrooms Many educators in higher education have implemented Wikipedia editing assignments in their courses. Case studies using this approach have been published in a variety of fields, including kinesiology and physical education (Kingsland & Isuster, 2020); political science, women’s studies, communication (Carver et al., 2012); medicine (Azzam, 2017; Murray et al., 2020); health science (Dawe & Robinson, 2017); chemistry (Walker & Li, 2016); history (Chandler & Gregory, 2010; Edwards, 2015; Nix, 2010; Pollard, 2008; Watts, 2012); athletic training (Camihort, 2009); sociology (Konieczny, 2012, 2016; Wright, 2012); law (Witzleb, 2009); and economics (Freire & Li, 2016). However, we are unaware of any published case studies from anthropology. As we will discuss, the context of cultural anthropology encourages learners to take a global, contextual approach to Wikipedia pages that may not be found across disciplines. This context also attunes learners to various social inequalities and a social justice approach, perspectives they can apply as they identify inequalities in information and how they manifest on Wikipedia.
Collaboration between Librarians and Faculty Collaboration between faculty and librarians can have a substantial impact on learners’ information literacy skills. Including a librarian in the classroom yields increased levels of critical information literacy, digital literacy, research skills, and technical capabilities for learners (Koziura et al., 2020). Moreover, working together in both the planning and implementation of an assignment enables a greater level of ​strategic and holistic instruction (Junisbai et al., 2016). Feminist pedagogy, furthermore, suggests that as faculty-librarian partnerships develop over time, librarian time in the classroom (even as a one-shot) can be increasingly effective (Kingsland, 2020). Instruction at this level can create learners who have increased fluency in producing and consuming information that lasts beyond graduation and creates socially responsible and engaged citizens.
While collaborating may seem like a daunting and time-consuming undertaking, it does not have to be. In fact, a pragmatic implementation imparts valuable information literacy skills with only a moderate level of librarian input with assignment design and pedagogy. A couple of strategically placed, hands-on library sessions accrue the greatest gains in learner outcomes. Moreover, the addition of a librarian into the planning and implementation of a course can reduce the burden on faculty by supporting and implementing a share of the discipline-based research goals (Junisbai et al., 2016).
Effective information literacy instruction is ideally embedded within the context of a discipline, since each discipline has its own research paradigms and modes of thought (Grafstein, 2002). Disciplinary information literacy requires participation from the learners, the librarian, and the professor. Learners must critically engage with a variety of kinds of information in different formats. The librarian elevates classroom learning by incorporating fundamental ideas of information literacy, and the professor provides curricular assignments that deepen interaction with disciplinary scholarship. In our collaboration, we worked together to develop learning outcomes that incorporated specific information learning skills within the context of anthropology.
The Assignment
As a culminating assignment for Jessica’s upper-level anthropology course, Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: A Global Perspective, learners identified an information gap on a Wikipedia page dealing with gender, completed research to address the gap, composed text to add to their chosen article, and published their work. Learners were also asked to ​reflect on their experience on Wikipedia to discuss the significance of the documented gender bias on the platform (Maher, 2018) in a reflection essay.
Though this project was the culminating assignment, it was a semester-long project. We identified six learning outcomes for this assignment, based on defined information literacy objectives. We utilized these learning outcomes to create our assignment and assessment, an approach known as backward design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). e assignment included professor-led discussions, two librarian-led sessions, a librarian-led working session, learner reading outside of class, and the research and writing for the Wikipedia page that learners completed outside of class. By weaving the assignment throughout the course, we helped learners see connections between course content and online knowledge production. See Appendix for the full lesson plan, including learning outcomes.
Wikipedia and the Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education
In 2016, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) revamped its information literacy standards to reflect today’s more complicated and nuanced information landscape, where much information access occurs in an unfettered, increasingly data-driven online environment. The revised framework better allows users to address the information issues we face today. It defines information literacy as a “set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning” (ACRL, 2015, p. 8). Information literacy is no longer defined as a set of concrete skills to be learned; instead, it is a network of interrelated core concepts and understandings that inform our ideas around and use of information. Its goal is to help users successfully adapt to and navigate information presented in a variety of contexts and formats.
​The learning goals of the new Information Literacy Framework include a combination of two important elements: knowledge practices (the demonstrated ways in which learners can increase their understanding of the core concepts) and dispositions (the affects, attitudes, and values we bring to knowledge seeking and use). In our research, we focused on two frames: Authority Is Constructed and Contextual and Scholarship as Conversation.
Authority Is Constructed and Contextual Authority Is Constructed and Contextual is the recognition that information may be presented formally or informally and through various media types, as well as that authority is based on the information needed and the context in which it is created (ACRL, 2015). Expert searchers approach authority with an attitude of informed skepticism and the recognition that biases exist that privilege some sources over others, especially in the areas of gender, sexual orientation, and cultural orientation.
Engaging in the knowledge practices defined under each section of the Framework paves the way for embodying the dispositions that prime our learners to successfully work in a global society. For example, practice in the Authority Is Constructed and Contextual frame allows for learners to become more comfortable having an openness to new ideas, perspectives and worldviews, the motivation to seek authority from nontraditional sources, and the recognition that frequent self-evaluation is necessary to carry out these dispositions. is frame is ideal to teach in the context of Wikipedia for two reasons: the neutrality pillar and the dynamic structure of Wikipedia’s platform.
Wikipedia has five pillars, or guidelines, that Wikipedia editors must adhere to. Here, we focus on the pillar “Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view” (“Wikipedia,” 2020a, para. 2). is pillar requires authors to maintain an objective stance and to include multiple points of view. Maintaining an objective stance was a novel and challenging experience for most of our learners, who were accustomed to writing thesis-driven essays. Neutrality (as Wikipedia labels it) ​required them to continuously check their own biases to be sure they were covering all points of view.
Anthropological course work can position learners to utilize the pillar of neutrality. Our course, for example, centered on global perspectives on gender. Learners were then prepared to include multiple points of view when writing about a non-Western culture for Wikipedia. For instance, a learner in our course who wrote about polygamy in Afghanistan discussed the issue in terms of practical reasons for the practice, cultural belief, historical context, and local and global politics. Several of our learners stated that this project broadened their awareness of their own biases and thus made it possible to ensure that they were seeking out sources that presented viewpoints different from their own.
Scholarship as Conversation Scholarship as Conversation refers to the idea that discourse among scholars occurs over time, and new insights and discoveries occur because of the presence of competing ideas and differing perspectives (ACRL, 2015). These conversations are clearly seen on an article’s talk page.
Every article on Wikipedia has a talk page where the article’s content is discussed. rough examination of talk pages, our learners saw the peer-review process in action. Effective communication on these talk pages is a critical component of maintaining the growth of Wikipedia as a viable, volunteer-driven, open resource. e transparency of the discourse on the talk pages allowed us to discuss academic writing with our learners, as they were able to see comments and discussion around topic content and scope (Dowell & Bridges, 2019). When learners engaged in the talk pages of their chosen articles, they participated in peer review. As editors, it allowed them to “see themselves as contributors to scholarship rather than only consumers of it” (ACRL, 2015, para. 10).
Our learners were also required to review each other’s writing through an in-class, peer-review exercise. is provided an avenue for learners to gain the knowledge practice to “critically evaluate ​contributions made by others in participatory information environments” (ACRL, 2015, para. 11).
Disciplinary Information Literacy: Working with Information in Cultural Anthropology
A discipline-based approach to teaching information literacy, where responsibilities for teaching are shared between faculty and librarians, provides a holistic, rich experience for learners (Grafstein, 2002; Junisbai et al., 2016). is approach allows learners to develop subject-specific content knowledge and research practices within that subject. is area is where Jessica’s disciplinary knowledge and expertise became an invaluable part of information literacy instruction.
Cultural anthropologists gather information through ethnographic fieldwork, typically living with a group of people whose lives are different than their own (American Anthropological Association, n.d.). The American Library Association (2008) developed disciplinary information literacy standards based on the ACRL Framework described above. Importantly, these disciplinary standards are intended for use with research and writing about human subjects. Information literate learners in anthropology understand how the validity of evidence is assessed and original solutions are proposed (Grafstein, 2002).
Cultural anthropology seeks to understand human cultures and lifeways across the globe. ere is an emphasis on understanding diverse points of view, so information must be understood in its appropriate cultural context (American Library Association, 2008). By writing about a culture different from one’s own for a public audience, learners practice this element of disciplinary information literacy and experience the challenges of communicating these nuances.
Information Literacy as Social Justice Libraries have a long-held connection to social justice. In fact, the American Library Association (2019) included many values associated with social justice as “library core values,” such as unfettered access to ​ideas; freedom for all people to form, to hold, and to express their own beliefs; respect for the individual person; democracy; diversity; social responsibility; intellectual freedom; education and lifelong learning; and serving the public good. Moreover, information literacy education was proclaimed a human right in 2005 (IFLA, 2015) and is considered an important prerequisite for democracy (Obama, 2009).
While the Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education does require taking a critical approach toward information literacy, both in its knowledge and dispositions objectives, it stops at learners acknowledging biases in bodies of knowledge. In response, Laura Saunders (2017) at Simmons College proposed a new frame: Information Social Justice. The Information Social Justice frame asserted that in order to most effectively understand and use information, “users must be able to examine and interrogate the power structures that impact that information and analyze the ways that information can be used to both inform and misinform” (Saunders, 2017, p. 67). Our project—through readings, class discussions, self-reflections, and the editing of Wikipedia—helped our learners, and ourselves, develop several of the knowledge practices and dispositions that serve this proposed frame by both exposing and expanding the dynamic, multifaceted nature of the information landscape, and thereby reinforcing the importance that we all employ empathy, critical scrutiny, and self-reflection when engaging with information. Our learners gain critical information literacy fluency when they can recognize where injustice occurs in a presentation of information and feel empowered with skills to effect change.
Information Literacy as Social Justice in Cultural Anthropology Contemporary cultural anthropology closely interrogates social inequalities on local, national, and global scales. Anthropologists research from the “ground up,” analyzing rich detail of lived experiences within larger social and cultural contexts. Many cultural anthropologists align themselves with those who are oppressed (Kirsch, 2018; Singer & Baer, 2018). Gender inequality is o en an important element of these analyses of social inequalities.
​Our focus on information literacy as social justice strengthened the disciplinary goals that Jessica already had for her course. Jessica asked learners to think deeply about gender inequality—how it emerges, how it perpetuates, and possibilities for mitigating it—as a key course goal. rough the Wikipedia editing assignment, learners expanded on this theme by experiencing how information creation and information access are also shaped by global and gendered inequalities.
Gender Bias on Wikipedia We employed feminist pedagogy when we asked learners to interrogate gender bias as a social justice issue on Wikipedia (Accardi, 2013; Hoodfar, 1992). We introduced learners to the information gaps that exist on Wikipedia (and, more broadly, in the literature) and asked them to use their experiences on the platform to reflect on these inequalities. Here, we unpack some of the issues around gender bias on Wikipedia.
The guidelines for knowledge production in English-language Wikipedia, while necessary, often perpetuate a gender bias in what is considered notable and publishable. This is evidenced most conspicuously in the “notability” pillar (discussed previously as an example of the frame Authority Is Constructed and Contextual). This pillar—a crucial part of how Wikipedia can minimize editors’ explicit biases—is especially problematic for women based on the verifiability requirement, which states that for an article to exist, the topic must have received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject (Harrison, 2019). Perhaps most famously, Donna Strickland, a Nobel Prize winner in physics, was not granted her own Wikipedia page, even though her male collaborators were, as she had not received enough media coverage to satisfy the verifiability requirement (Koren, 2018).
Wikipedia’s structure also contributes to gender bias on the platform. Wikipedia’s foundational infrastructures, policies, and technologies were built in a male-dominated culture that excluded women. Unfortunately, this led to a pervasive culture where women ​were faced with multiple barriers for contributing, both due to comparatively fewer technological skills and female editors’ adversarial experiences with pushback from the Wikipedia community (Ford & Wajcman, 2017).
The demographics of the editor population are another likely contributor to Wikipedia’s inherent biases. Over 85 percent of Wikipedia’s 40 million editors are white men (“Wikipedia,” 2020b). This narrow demographic comprises a large portion of the editor population, so their interests and worldviews influence what does and does not get covered (Wagner et al., 2016). The topics receiving the most coverage on Wikipedia tend to be narrow: war, sports, and video games (Carleton et al., 2017).
Empowering Learners After spending the semester discussing inequality and issues of social justice, learners can feel helpless in the face of pervasive structural issues. However, developing skills to communicate about gender inequality for a broad audience empowers learners in a variety of ways. Some learners told us that this skill equipped them to push back against gender inequality in their lives and their activism. The assignment also allowed learners to “talk back” in a small way by helping to address the gender gap in Wikipedia. They also participated in “public anthropology” by translating anthropological research for the public, in service of the common good (Borofsky, 2008). By editing Wikipedia, learners supported diverse voices on a widely read public platform.
Advice and Recommendations
Since we found this project so rewarding, we have taught this assignment four times over three years. Each time, we solicit learner feedback and work to improve the assignment. Here, we share some of what we learned in this process as well as ideas for how to adapt this assignment for different contexts.
It is important to consider how assignment information is presented to learners. We found that it is best to provide a list of pages ​that learners can research. When we provided cross-cultural examples, learners researched more diverse topics instead of choosing topics close to their own lives. We also found that it is best to only give learners an abbreviated assignment overview at the beginning of the semester. Too much information up front leads to information overload, causing confusion (Bawden & Robinson, 2009). Jessica found that learners are less overwhelmed if scaffolding assignments are distributed throughout the semester. Jessica also reiterates the assignment’s goals often, so learners continue to connect their work with course goals. We also would like to experiment with an infographic to streamline communication about steps of the assignment.
In early versions of this assignment, Jennifer’s visits to the classroom focused on how and why we were using Wikipedia in class. However, there are other powerful approaches that librarians can take. The initial librarian visit could begin by facilitating a critical discussion of Wikipedia as a source before delving into the mechanics of the project. The librarian can also guide learners through information literacy frames that we focus on in the project, using some of the activities developed by the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) (2020). e assignment could also require a visit with a librarian.
The first time we taught this assignment, we had a learner who did not participate, though he was otherwise active in class. We suspected that he was simply too anxious about sharing his writing to engage. Jessica came to realize this was a stumbling block and started telling learners that some nervousness is a normal part of the research process. In the future, we will draw from Carol Kuhlthau’s (1991) foundational work, “Inside the Search Process,” to normalize anxiety as part of the process to show how meeting with a librarian can help them move past this stage.
This assignment can be modified for a variety of courses. Jessica has since modified the assignment for a lower-level class by offering more professor support, decreasing the required number of citations, and having learners work in pairs. As an alternative, learners could also add citations to an undercited page, rather than write new text (Oliver, 2015). These pages can be found in Google by using the query: “needs ​additional citations” site:en.wikipedia.org and a topic. For example, “needs additional citations” site:en.wikipedia.org anthropology will provide a list of Wikipedia articles on anthropology that require more citations. Another option is to use the Citation Hunt tool (Citation Hunt, n.d.), which pulls up a random snippet in a Wikipedia article that needs a citation. If a learner wants to address the snippet, they click on the “I Got is” button, which directs them to the Wikipedia page where they can add a citation. In upper-level courses, the assignment might be used as a springboard for a traditional research paper. Learners could also reflect on how their paper differs from the Wikipedia page, engaging in critical thinking skills around bias and different styles of writing.
Developing, implementing, and iterating this assignment has been an edifying and enjoyable experience. The assignment has reinforced feminist pedagogy and social justice themes present in Jessica’s course, and we have learned from each other’s approaches and knowledge bases. We hope that our discussion is a resource for those who want to teach using Wikipedia but who have had more questions than solutions. As with any high-impact classroom activity, there are bound to be hiccups. However, working through the challenges has been beyond worth it for this assignment, as it has been an important learning opportunity for everyone involved: faculty, librarian, and learners alike.
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Appendix: Wikipedia Editing Assignment
In this assignment, we asked learners in an upper-level cultural anthropology course to add to an existing article on Wikipedia. In developing the assignment, we drew from the templates laid out by Wiki Education and some of the resources they created to provide resources for learners in the class (Wiki Education, 2017).
Since the course was Gender, Sex, and Sexuality: A Global Perspective, we focused on pages that addressed gender or sexuality in some way. However, since there is a dearth of information about the Global South in English-language Wikipedia (Salvaggio, 2015), most cultural anthropology courses have the potential to contribute to an instance of information inequality on Wikipedia.
Learning Outcomes
We used the frames in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to organize learning outcomes for this project. Table 1 lists our learning outcomes with the information literacy frame that they are meant to develop. The table also shows how elements of our assignment address our learning outcomes. Depending on your course, you may wish to focus more on some frames and less on others. This is part of what makes this assignment flexible.
Assignment
In this assignment, we ask learners to research and write a contribution to an existing Wikipedia page about gender or sexuality. Learners also submit an annotated bibliography and write a short reflection essay at the end of the semester. This project is spread out over the ​Table 1 Learning Outcomes and Assignment Design
| Learning Outcome | Class Discussion | Learners Identify Research Gap and Choose Article | Learners Research and Write Drafts | Peer Review and Professor Review | Interact with Wikipedians | Annotated Bibliography | Reflection Paper |
| Articulate how knowledge is produced on a popular, participatory online platform (Wikipedia) IL Frame: Authority Is Constructed and Contextual | X | X | | | X | | X |
| Locate relevant and trustworthy sources of information, both through the university library and online. IL Frame: Authority Is Constructed and Contextual | X | | X | | | X | X ​ |
| Write collaboratively with others, both in person and in a digital space. This includes giving and receiving feedback in a productive and respectful manner. IL Frame: Scholarship as Conversation | | | X | X | X | | X |
| Write in accordance with style guide and informational framework of a specialized platform. IL Frame: Information Creation as Process | | | X | X | X | | X ​ |
| Define and recognize bias in information and remove it from their research and writing. IL Frame: Information Has Value | X | | X | X | X | | X |
| Identify when a piece of writing does not adequately address issues of gender and/or sexuality. IL Frame: Research as Inquiry | X | X | | | | | X |
semester, and learners practice writing in drafts. Below is an example of the assignment introduction that we give to learners early in the semester:
   This semester, you will learn to edit Wikipedia! You will be adding a section or more to a Wikipedia page related to gender or sexuality, working toward the goal of making your changes “live” to the site. is project will be completed piece by piece throughout the semester. You will have the professor and librarian Jennifer L. Sullivan to support you through this process.
   By the end of the semester, your writing should meet Wikipedia’s guidelines and should cite at least 4 authoritative sources. Your grade on this project will be based on a ﬁnal packet, with an annotated bibliography, reﬂection essay, and ﬁnal contribution to Wikipedia. By going through this process and adding to an article on Wikipedia, you will help to close information gaps on the platform.
We progressed through the following steps in our semester-long project. These steps are scaffolded and introduced as we move through the semester:
* Discussion of information bias
* Students choose Wikipedia page
* Introduction to Wikipedia and introduction to searching with Jennifer (librarian)
* Draft of writing for peer review (in class)
* Draft of writing for professor review
* Make writing live to Wikipedia (in-class with Jennifer—librarian)
* Continued edits and interacting with Wikipedia editors
* Final packet submitted to professor consisting of a short reﬂective essay, annotated bibliography, and best draft of their writing (as determined by the learner)
The first step—discussion of information bias—will likely vary from class to class. Jessica used this time to set up the relationship between information bias and course content. Jennifer made the inspired suggestion of using an article from The Atlantic titled “This Article Won’t Change Your Mind” as assigned reading for this day of class (Beck, 2017). Building on this reading, Jessica led a discussion of the cultural life of ideas and what kinds of information are appropriate or convincing in what situation. This can easily bridge to a discussion of information privilege and why we are editing Wikipedia in our course. The professor can introduce this link even earlier, if desired, on the first day of class. Any first-day activity that asks students to think about the nature of information in the course discipline will work. Jessica has ​asked students about truth and belief (Jenks, 2016) or practiced data collection (Keys, 2000) to meet this goal.
Assessment
Learners often have a flash of anxiety when they first find out about this assignment, since they assume their grade will be based on how Wikipedians judge their writing. However, learning goals for this project emphasize the research process and contextualizing research experience as part of larger bodies of work. So, our approach was to award points for tasks that supported these goals. For example, we awarded points for a reflection essay, completing WikiEdu trainings, participating in peer review and professor review drafts, interacting with Wikipedians, and an annotated bibliography.
Another common challenge is assessing the final student writing. Learners are used to meeting word count or page length parameters in their writing, but those measures are not necessarily useful when writing for Wikipedia (Blumenthal, 2018, May 1). We have used benchmarks such as number of citations to signal length requirement to students. It is also important to clarify how writing will be assessed; Wiki Education (2017, November 14) provides sample rubrics to draw from. Some criteria we have used in our rubric are “conformed to Wikipedia style” and “added a significant new idea.”
Diﬀerent Semester Lengths
We have taught this assignment in both abbreviated and full-length semesters. We have had best success with courses lasting a month or more, though the overall context of your course is important to consider. We reflect upon some of our experiences below.
A fifteen-week class meets Wiki Education’s requirements for full enrollment and support in their program. is is a helpful resource and a good reason to use this assignment in a longer semester. Moreover, learners have more time to research and write in this format. We have found, however, that in these longer semesters, learners’ efforts ​typically are spread over more courses and professors only see them a few times a week, so communication can be more difficult.
We originally developed the assignment for use in a one-month summer course. is worked well: students expected an intensive experience and Jessica was able to address student questions face-to-face quickly. In the one-month format, learners researched and drafted their contribution to a Wikipedia page during the first full week of class, worked through drafts the second week, made work live to Wikipedia in the third week, and submitted their nal re ection paper on the last week of class.
Resources
Teaching and Learning Wikipedia Art+Feminism. (n.d.). Get started: Learn to edit! Art + Feminism. https://artandfeminism.org/resources/getting-started/quick-guides-for-editing/.
This is a quick guide for editing Wikipedia—great for an overview or to plan an edit-a-thon.
Blumenthal, H. (2018, May 1). Assessing Wikipedia contributions. Wikiedu. https://wikiedu.org/blog/2018/05/01/assessing-wikipedia-contributions/.
This blog post lays out guidelines for grading learner contributions to Wikipedia.
Citation Hunt. (n.d.). https://citationhunt.toolforge.org/en?id=b001095b.
Citation Hunt finds ideas in Wikipedia that are tagged “citation needed.” is can be used as part of an assignment. Education/Reasons to use Wikipedia—Outreach Wiki. (n.d.). https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education/Reasons_to_use_Wikipedia.
This is a discussion of some of the benefits and drawbacks of teaching with Wikipedia.
Wiki Education. (2017, November 1). Teach with Wikipedia. Wiki Education. https://wikiedu.org/teach-with-wikipedia/.
Learn how the Wikipedia Education Foundation can support your teaching.
Wiki Education. (2017, November 2017). Wiki Education classroom program example grading rubric. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_Education_Classroom_Program_example_grading_rubric.pdf.
Sample rubrics for assessing learner writing and references for Wikipedia writing. Wikimedia Education. (n.d.). https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education. ​This is a hub for all things Wikipedia in Education.
Readings and Activities
Beck, J. (2017). this article won’t change your mind. The Atlantic. www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/03/this-article-wont-change-your-mind/519093/.
This reading asks students to think about the social life of information.
Jenks, A. (2016). First day activity: Ten things you believe to be true. Society for Cultural Anthropology. https://culanth.org/fieldsights/first-day-activity-ten-things-you-believe-to-be-true.
This first-day activity asks students to consider what is true and what they believe.
Keys, G. (2000). Doing ethnographic research in the classroom: A simple exercise for engaging introductory students. In P. C. Rice & D. W. McCurdy (Eds.), Strategies in teaching anthropology (pp. 164–66). Prentice Hall.
Students take turns pretending to be an alien from outer space who is interviewing an American about eating habits in this first-day activity.
PALNI. (2020). LibGuides: Framework for information literacy for higher education. https://libguides.palni.edu/c.php?g=185459&p=1224981.
PALNI has gathered activities and ideas for teaching information literacy frameworks.
Salvaggio, E. (2015). Theories: Wikipedia and the production of knowledge. Wikimedia. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Theories_Wikipedia_and_the_production_of_knowledge.pdf.
This document provides topics and discussion questions for discussing Wikipedia as knowledge production.