User:Lauren1500/Report

Overall, my experience creating a Wikipedia article was challenging, exciting, and purposeful. Challenging because, although I have used Wikipedia for my own curiosity, I never thought I would be part of the creation and editing process. Through my process I gathered information that may be of interest to the Wikipedia Community. Improving Wikipedia based on my suggestions, though seemling simplistic, will not only help individuals with learning challenges, but all newcomers entering the Wikipedia world. This process helped me learn more about choosing reliable sources, using a sandbox for the first time, and understanding the norms of Wikipedia in a way I did not know before.

I have Dyslexia and ADHD which makes it difficult to read, write, and focus in general. I found these challenges especially prevalent when working through Wikipedia & Wiki Edu. I particularly struggled writing my Wikipedia article because I could not recall all the rules and information I had previously spent time learning in the modules assigned to me in Wiki Edu. I spent what felt like an excessive amount of time going back and forth between my Sandbox, the Resources and Training page as well as many “Wikipedia:” articles such as Notability, Recentism and so forth. This may be what Wikipedia expects of newcomers in order to familiarize themselves with all the protocols needed for a successful article, however, instead of checking and double checking the rules so often, I propose that Wikipedia use better functionality of the modules and quizzes, located in Wiki Edu., to increase the overall retention rate of the information being taught to newcomers.

I propose that one way to increase the retention rate is to incorporate the option of a game-like interface that uses a point system and badges for leveling up at each new phase in the modules in Wiki Edu. This game-like interface could have activities such as filling in the blank or matching definitions to further assist newcomers with their retention rates of all the new information coming their way. Another idea could be to incorporate a scavenger hunt in Wikipedia where you take newcomers on a journey and have them hit checkpoints along the way. Even something as easy as “Congrats! You’ve found the Notability Page, you’ve earned 10 points!” If a user would like more points, a user can complete the activities associated with that page to learn more about Notability guidelines, etc. We can also draw on similar coding practices for learning code. Since newcomers have to learn to use Wikicode, and Wikicode has similarities to coding, it would make sense for Wikipedia to collaborate with organizations like Code.org or Khan Academy to create a program just right for future Wikipedians. This game-like interface could help newcomers understand the norms of Wikipedia in a fun and engaging way while appealing to a wider audience than just academics. There could also be a feature that allows users to invite friends outside the community to join in as well (Kraut).

My recommendations should be taken more seriously than just random advice because it would offer a different accessibility option that includes more newcomers, which leads to more growth for Wikipedia. These suggestions would not only increase overall engagement, leading to increased retention rates, but gamifying Wiki Edu would diversify users on Wikipedia by appealing to a different user base. As my professor, Makio Hill, has pointed out, the number of Wikipedians editing articles has decreased significantly during the past decade. Dr. Jean describes the reputation of editing Wikipedia “as something unworthy” (Konieczny). Unfortunately, I had a similar opinion before knowing anything about editing Wikipedia. Now having a different perspective, I can see how useful the skills learned from editing Wikipedia are, and I wish I had taken this particular class before entering University. The process of creating a Wikipedia article is truly an “academic exercise” (Konieczny). In my case, this exercise resulted in increased skills & confidence for furthering academia studies. Now more than ever, Wikipedia needs to take action on attracting and sustaining newcomers even if it involves a whole new interactive process. What better way than to add in a more “fun” aspect that could attract individuals from all ages. With the right training, I believe everyone has something to contribute to the world wide knowledge base of Wikipedia.

I’d like to thank my Professor, Benjamin Mako Hill, his T.A, Kaylea Champion, and the Department of Communications at The University of Washington for giving me the opportunity to create a Wikipedia Article after using Wikipedia myself so many times!

Citations

Konieczny, Piotr. “Teaching with Wikipedia in a 21st-Century Classroom: Perceptions of Wikipedia and Its Educational Benefits.” Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, vol. 67, no. 7, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2016, pp. 1523–34, https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23616.

Kraut, Robert E., and Paul Resnick. Building Successful Online Communities: Evidence-Based Social Design. The MIT Press, 2012.