Teaching with Wikipedia-based assignments

Wikipedia is the most widely-used source of information, not only for the public, but also for many decision-makers and academics; the way that subjects are covered in Wikipedia drives the way they are discussed in the scientific literature (Thompson & Hanley 2017). But the quality of content on Wikipedia depends on the skills, knowledge, and interests of the volunteer editors who write Wikipedia articles.

Students in physics classes have the skills and background to add high-quality content to Wikipedia while gaining depth of knowledge about the subject and taking ownership of their learning experience. Since 2014, university students in physics and engineering classes have added over 400,000 words to Wikipedia articles using tools and support provided by Wiki Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving Wikipedia’s quality, equity, and reach. These articles were viewed over 7.5 million times in the semesters in which the students were active.

We will discuss our experience running assignments (Vershinin) and the overall impact of the program (Ramjohn). Attendees will gain insight into the benefits of trying this assignment in their courses, and will leave with information about getting started.