Submissions:2018/How to Talk to Faculty About Wikipedia


 * Title: How to Talk to Faculty About Wikipedia


 * Theme (optional): Relationship Building & Support / Editor Recruitment & Retention / Wikipedia in Pedagogy


 * Academic Peer Review option: Yes


 * Type of submission: Presentation


 * Author: Jennifer Sutcliffe


 * E-mail address: jennifer.sutcliffe@emory.edu


 * Wikimedia username: Jennifersyoung


 * Affiliation(s) (optional): Emory University


 * Abstract: Some academic institutions have embraced Wikipedia, but there are still varied opinions on the value of Wikipedia in academia in general. There is a healthy degree of skepticism about the accuracy of information in Wikipedia, and faculty tend to steer their students away from using it. The way that information is produced on Wikipedia – anyone can add and change information – differs from the traditional peer-review model that academics are used to. These are some of the philosophical problems that form a barrier between Wikipedia and the academic sphere. However, framing Wikipedia as a learning opportunity for students and demonstrating the capacity for it to build skills in information and digital literacy, public writing, and research can be eye-opening for faculty. Explaining to instructors how they can contribute as subject matter experts can also be a way to get them more engaged with Wikipedia and lead them to understand how Wikipedia and academic institutions have shared goals.

In her career as a librarian and instructional designer, Jennifer Sutcliffe, Educational Analyst at Emory University, has heard and considered many different perspectives on Wikipedia in higher education. Along with like-minded colleagues at Emory, she has made efforts to involve the Emory community in editing and teaching with Wikipedia. Through training, outreach, and education, this group encourages faculty to look at Wikipedia as an opportunity to further their pedagogy and scholarly work and bring it to a broader audience. In this brief talk, she will describe how she has learned to get faculty and others in the academic sphere to respond positively to Wikipedia by framing it as a living environment for teaching and learning. She will discuss some of the recent grant-funded efforts by the Emory Libraries Wikipedia Group – such as organizing edit-a-thons, hosting a full-day Wikipedia workshop, and hiring a part-time Wikipedian in Residence – to increase engagement with Wikipedia on campus and encourage faculty to contribute their expert knowledge, boost the signal of their research areas and educate the general population.


 * Length of presentation: 15-20 min


 * Special requests: N/A


 * Preferred room size: 25


 * Have you presented on this topic previously? If yes, where/when?: No


 * If you will be incorporating a slidedeck during your presentation, do you agree to upload it to Commons before your session, with a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license, including suitable attribution in the slidedeck for any images used?: Yes


 * Will you attend WikiConference North America if your submission is not accepted?: Maybe (depending on funding)

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