Wikipedia:Education Program/Structure proposals/Jgmikulay proposal

Jennifer Geigel Mikulay, Assistant Professor, Communication & Technology Department, Alverno College, Milwaukee, WI
 * Please list your name and/or Wikipedia username.

The Wikipedia Education Programs could be structured as an initiative housed in a center at a higher educational institution. Ideally, the institution would have a history of innovative programs, leadership in using new media and technology to create and share knowledge, and a willingness to gather and support an association of volunteers including Wikipedians, students, instructors, librarians, and content specialists who wish to collaborate. This structure could grow into a permanent affiliation, or it could be term-based and move among interested institutions over time.
 * What idea(s) do you have for what the new structure for the U.S. and Canada Wikipedia Education Programs could look like?

The structure would engage key stakeholders by supporting activities including planning, recruitment and orientation, training, evaluation, and development of a community of volunteers committed to involving students in sharing knowledge as Wikipedia contributors. The structure would need a clear mission and goals centered around Wikipedia's value as a teaching tool and platform for knowledge sharing. The structure would need to carefully identify key stakeholders, including people who have not yet been sufficiently or effectively involved, and pursue an outreach strategy to form a diverse base of participants. In its formative stages, the structure should use and reflect the experiences accumulated in other recent local Wikipedia chapter and global Wikimedia Foundation initiatives, and it should develop mechanisms for staying connected to emerging needs in the Wikipedia communities.
 * How would you ensure this new structure involves all key stakeholders, including academics and the Wikipedia community?

Potential pitfalls include scarcity of resources at many higher educational institutions and the sometimes slow pace at which colleges and universities can undertake new initiatives. Another potential pitfall is that many colleges and universities are not sufficiently diverse, or collaborative to effectively support the Wikipedia Education Programs--the pool of potential campuses that could support the structure I propose may be quite small.
 * What are potential pitfalls of this approach?

An institution with a track record of offering training and support to the higher education community, working effectively with disciplinary organizations and community-based initiatives, and with a commitment to engaging students as leaders in the free culture movement would be an ideal host for the Wikipedia Education Programs. I also feel very strongly that whatever structure emerges to support this change in program delivery needs to address the gap in participation by women and people of color throughout en-Wikipedia. If the organization wishes to pursue affiliation with an academic institution, I would advocate that preference be given to women's colleges, community colleges, historically black colleges, and/or public systems with a strong minority enrollment and equitable participation in technology-driven programs.
 * Any other comments about your proposal?