Wikipedia talk:Miscellany for deletion/Wikipedia:The Wikipedia Adventure (2nd nomination)

FWIW

 * Official comments:

Since this proposal was closed, per WP:SNOWBALL, it may be pointless to note this now. Nevertheless, and FWIW, I wanted to add my comments here for the record anyway.

First, I'm grateful to TWA's creators -- User:Ocaasi. User:Heatherawalls, User:Superm401, User:Jtmorgan -- and its defenders at this MfD. Thank you all.

Ocassi is right. The game is utilized and recommended by the Wikimedia Foundation's Global Education Program. In fact, it is the first training that we link to at Education/Trainings. There is also a separate description page about The Wikipedia Adventure on Outreach wiki here. The number of translations already is a good sign for the adventure's future. I'm personally tracking and encouraging additional localisations.

It seems fair to point out that even the more traditional trainings and are not without critics. And yet, no one is proposing that we delete them until something better can be built.

As Doc James notes, different people learn in different ways. Having multiple options to reach and teach many learners is a good thing.

The 2013 Wikipedia Education Program evaluation report notes: The online trainings "contribute toward possible replication and growth of the Wikipedia Education Program globally and demonstrate the ability of program leaders to share in learning." Much like the Trainings, TWA "helps new program leaders [around the world] develop and execute their program plans for a Wikipedia Education Program implementation."

For those reasons, if this discussion were still open, I would be commenting: STRONG SUPPORT.

Anna Koval (WMF) (talk) 11:21, 2 June 2015 (UTC)


 * Personal comments:

On a personal note, I participated, as a volunteer, in the early trials of TWA as an alpha tester. I found it fun and helpful. I am experienced (10+ years) as a teacher and a librarian, and I could see this being engaging for many of my former students, and certainly much better than anything I could come up with on my own! I would still suggest that they try it. It can't hurt them; it can only help them.

But maybe even more than I can see TWA helping teenagers or kids, I can see it supporting new users in their 30s and older. A whole generation of us grew up watching the space race, moon landing, and the manned missions of the space shuttle program on tv. As kids, many of us revered astronauts like Sally Ride and Christa McAuliffe for their bravery and boldness, their contribution to something greater than themselves, and their sacrifice. If a "mission" like TWA reminds people today of our childhood hopes, ambitions, and aspirations, and encourages us to keep learning, exploring, and clicking the edit button, then what are we complaining about? User:Halibutt is right. WP is bleeding users. We shouldn't demolish the house while it's still being built. If TWA helps us train and retain a few more people, that's awesome, because the house won't build itself.

Anna Koval (WMF) (talk) 11:21, 2 June 2015 (UTC)