Wikipedia:Education Program/Structure proposals/Proposal from Brian


 * Please list your name and/or Wikipedia username.

I think the new structure could take several possible forms and be successful. What first seems like a good idea to me is some sort of non-profit subsidiary of Wikimedia Foundation. I think one of the key components of the new structure is that whatever form it takes it needs to continue and potentially even increase the outreach to and training of faculty on how to incorporate Wikipedia-based assignments into their courses. I recognize that I am an outlier on this and am the type of faculty member that didn't really need any special support to pursue this, but attending the Higher Ed Summit and meeting other interested faculty members made it much more clear to me that MANY of those who would like to participate would feel more confident doing so with a little more guidance. So, the Higher Ed program needs a structure that would enable this sort of outreach and there are likely lots of different structures that would enable it to achieve that central aim.
 * What idea(s) do you have for what the new structure for the U.S. and Canada Wikipedia Education Programs could look like?

The new Higher Ed entity might conclude that it needs to recruit faculty trainers to do in-person or video-based trainings. If so, this presents a natural opportunity to seek volunteers from the Wikipedia community, either those with a geographic proximity in the case of in-person trainings, or with experience creating web videos. Additionally, I would think that if a non-profit entity were created, that it would have board members taken from both the academy and the Wikipedia community.
 * How would you ensure this new structure involves all key stakeholders, including academics and the Wikipedia community?

I think any approach that severs this entity from the Wikimedia Foundation too much runs the risk of failing for lack of support or visibility. At least initially, the Wikimedia Foundation should expect to shepherd any such new entity before completely shoving it out of the nest and expecting it to fly.
 * What are potential pitfalls of this approach?

I have been assigning my students to edit Wikipedia both throughout the Public Policy pilot, since then, and even years before. I have found, and my students have reported, that these assignments are an excellent means of teaching media/internet literacy skills, basic research and writing skills, and how to function within a collaborative online community with its own set of policies and expectations. The Higher Ed program now introduces thousands of students to Wikipedia editing every semester. Even if this didn't create any new quality content (it does) and even if it never created new long-term Wikipedia editors (it does) it would still be one of the most valuable things that the Wikimedia Foundation could support because of this widespread exposure it creates. Over time, tens of thousands more people are going to be able to say that they have edited Wikipedia before, they know how to do it, and they would feel comfortable (and sometimes might even enjoy) doing so again. That has got to be a great, perhaps even essential, asset for Wikipedia to have in the future and so finding a structure for the Higher Ed program that ensures that program's long-term success is, I think, potentially even essential for Wikipedia's own long-term success.
 * Any other comments about your proposal?