Wikipedia:Education Program/Structure proposals/Dick Clark proposal


 * Please list your name and/or Wikipedia username.

My name is Dick Clark, and my Wikipedia username is DickClarkMises.


 * What idea(s) do you have for what the new structure for the U.S. and Canada Wikipedia Education Programs could look like?

I appreciate the fine work by Foundation staff on the Public Policy Initiative and the Wikipedia Education Program. Besides securing the initial funding for these projects and organizing ambassador training, formal Foundation involvement has no doubt been crucial in the process of persuading educators to use Wikipedia as a teaching tool in their classrooms. The availability of campus and online ambassadors who have been vetted and trained by the Foundation has reassured at least some prospective faculty participants that building Wikipedia-related tasks into their curricula would only mean becoming reasonably proficient with Wikipedia, not personally becoming Wikipedia experts. The Foundation's support for the development of curricula has also reduced the amount of effort required to use Wikipedia in the classroom.

Along with a few independent pioneers who have used Wikipedia in the classroom without Foundation support, the PPI and WEP programs have successfully demonstrated that Wikipedia can play a useful role in the instruction of students across many realms of scholarly discourse. At this point, I believe that the Foundation's role can become more limited without endangering the progress made thus far. It is vital, however, for the program--in whatever form it takes--to continue to provide support in the form of committed campus ambassadors, capable online ambassadors, and other experienced Wikipedians who understand the importance of not biting newcomers.

As I see it, the program should have the following goals (1) bringing new contributors to Wikipedia, (2) bolstering Wikipedia's reputation among academics and their students as a useful research tool, and (3) helping participants understand how Wikipedia works and what it is all about. I believe that the last component--educating participants on the aspirational goals of Wikipedia and the general principles by which it operates--can be better achieved through a more decentralized program structure that better reflects the Wikipedia community and its processes. It is important to emphasize to new Wikipedians that the encyclopedia thrives on bold contributions by individual contributors, not monolithic editorial hierarchies. Emphasis on the importance of spontaneous collaboration and consensus-building is key to developing newcomers into constructive contributors who stick around the project after their class assignment is complete. I think a structure that incorporates this emphasis will more naturally attract eager participants from the existing population of Wikipedians.


 * How would you ensure this new structure involves all key stakeholders, including academics and the Wikipedia community?

While I don't wish to take our faculty participants for granted, I think that the promise of a new teaching tool that is relevant to our historical context should motivate educators of all stripes. The recognition of participating faculty as Wikipedia Teaching Fellows is a nice pat on the back, but the bottom line has to be that the tools we provide enhance the educational experience that these educators can offer.

Likewise, a program that brings constructive new contributors to Wikipedia and helps us to build a better, more useful encyclopedia should be welcomed by all Wikipedians. Further integration of the program into the Wikipedia community will encourage editors to constructively collaborate with new editors whose first contributions are made as a part of program-related classroom assignments.


 * What are potential pitfalls of this approach?

There is no question that the dogged persistence of the Foundation's facilitators has made these programs the success that they are. With that cadre of facilitators taking a less prominent role in the future, there is a danger that some faculty will be less confident in the level of support that they will receive from the Wikipedia community. This could hamper the growth of the program.


 * Any other comments about your proposal?