Wikipedia:Education Program/Structure proposals/Robert Kraut proposal

Robert Kraut user:robertekraut
 * Please list your name and/or Wikipedia username.


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

A major goal would to insure that both the Wikipedia community and academics are represented.

The long term, successful integration of academic, domain experts and their students into Wikipedia is likely to require modification of Wikipedia culture as well as socialization of the students and faculty to the existing Wikipedia culture. The wholesale reverts that user:LauraHale has made to many good faith edits by students across several classrooms suggest the culture clash that will need to be overcome.

Because this organization is likely to want to seek federal or foundation funding, housing the organization at a university, a professional society or a non-profit makes sense. But it is not clear whether affiliation with a university, an independent non-profit or some other organizational structure makes most sense. This should be a task for the working group to investigate.


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

The WP community and "academics," defined narrowly as teaching faculty in colleges and universities, are not the only relevant stakeholders. At least 50 years of research shows that university faculty differ in the extent to which they have cosmopolitan versus local orientations (e.g., Gouldner, 1958; Grimes et al, 1970; Baker et al, 1984). Many university faculty have allegiances to the disciplines in which they earned their highest degree and do their research that are stronger than their allegiances to the schools where they do their teaching. As a result, key stakeholders should also include representatives of the disciplines with which academics identify -- American Chemical Society, American Society of Civil Engineers, Association for Psychological Science and the like. These societies may influence what their professor members do in their classrooms more than campus based initiative, like the Campus Ambassador program. Their professional associations meeting can be a place where using Wikipedia in the classroom can be proselytized and skills taught. In addition, many of these societies have student affiliates, which can be a source of mentors and the equivalent of Campus Ambassadors.


 * What are potential pitfalls of this approach?

Wikipedians might have a distrust of any structure that is not primarily led by volunteers and that isn't completely internal to the community.


 * Any other comments about your proposal?


 * References
 * Gouldner, A. W. (1958). Cosmopolitans and locals: toward an analysis of latent social roles. II. Administrative Science Quarterly, 444-480.
 * Grimes, A. J., & Berger, P. K. (1970). Cosmopolitan-local: evaluation of the construct. Administrative Science Quarterly, 407-416.
 * Baker, P. J., & Zey-Ferrell, M. (1984). Local and cosmopolitan orientations of faculty: Implications for teaching. Teaching Sociology, 82-106.

Robertekraut (talk) 22:17, 25 April 2012 (UTC)