User:Eng101-801/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
Bridge program

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)

I chose this article because the topic is important to me. When I saw what this article looked like, I knew I could add more facts on the subject. College bridge programs matter because they help students get used to what college is like, especially first-generation college students. I did not see any of that information represented in this article, and I could not find an article that did, so I am going to add it myself here. Although I did not see information on American college bridge programs in this article, I still think that this article does a good job of giving readers an introduction into this facet of the Canadian education system.

Evaluate the article
The lead of this article is very short and includes a general overview of the subject as well as what topics within the subject will be covered in this essay. A reader who just wants a quick overview of this article and the subject matter can definitely glean all that from just reading the lead. However, towards the end of the lead, when the author begins to categorize the different bridge programs that the Canadian education system offers.

The content of this article is mostly relevant. The writer starts off by providing some brief background information into Canadian college bridge programs and how they have impacted the way government and education intersect. I do not believe that all of the federal connections are pertinent to the topic, but they are somewhat linked to the overall subject so I can see why the writer of this article ultimately decided to include it in their Wikipedia article. In fact, I think the writer took a lot of liberties when crafting this explanation because they include the opinions of people and seemingly even some of their own as well. It seems as though the author is biased against the program and emphasizes with students who share the same sentiment. The author does cite some sources, but those only continue to give readers surface-level information on the concept of a bridge program. This prompted me to ask: “So, if I can this information in all these other places, what’s the point of coming to this Wikipedia article?” I believe that Wikipedia contributors asked the same question, as this article’s talk page includes advice to center more around neutrality instead of shining a spotlight on a particular opinion of something.

Wikipedia isn’t an online magazine where users can openly post op-ed articles. Now more than ever, I feel as though I understand a lot of what the Wikipedia primer we had to read for class explained. Wikipedia is an asset to the digital community because since we are in an age where information is easily accessible and is always in high demand on a variety of different topics. That convenience can sometimes come at a great cost, though; if information on something is only someone’s opinions, then it is no longer information.