Wikipedia:Education Program/Structure proposals/Wikipedia Studies Foundation

Robert E. Cummings

username: BobCummings

I believe we should consider the creation of a new, independent foundation, which would establish, support, and guide the interdisciplinary field of Wikipedia Studies. The Wikipedia Studies Foundation will:


 * Fund raise to support its mission;
 * Promote and expand the ambassador network;
 * Promote and expand the teaching network;
 * Host an annual interdisciplinary academic conference, using the peer-review submission model;
 * Publish a peer-reviewed journal for both original research and pedagogical practices, with an electronic research network;
 * Establish a research and teaching center at a major university;
 * Oversee and maintain topic advisory boards to provide advice on content, with the consent of the Wikipedia volunteer community;
 * Create endowed chairs for Wikipedia Studies;
 * Establish and maintain contacts with professional disciplinary academic organizations.

To ensure that this new structure would involve all key stakeholders, including academics and the Wikipedia community, it would be led by an advisory board with positions for each of these roles. The board would establish metrics for effectiveness on each of the roles of the Wikipedia Studies Foundation.

The largest potential pitfall of this this approach would be lack of funding. Like education itself, the Wikipedia Studies is infrastructure which enables more profitable enterprises. Those engaged in the more profitable enterprises will not always see the connection to infrastructure.

I am excited and hopeful about the potential of the project.

--Bob Cummings (talk) 02:24, 8 May 2012 (UTC)