Submissions:2023/Keeping Wikipedia relevant for today's post-secondary students

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WikiConference North America 2023 unfortunately could not accommodate this submission in its program this year.

Title:

Keeping Wikipedia relevant for today's post-secondary students

Theme:

Community Initiatives, Education, Equity / Inclusion / Community Health

Type of session:

Lightning talk

Abstract:

For many years, the common refrain was that Wikipedia could not be trusted. When I joined Wiki Education in 2014, I regularly encountered faculty who questioned Wikipedia's reliability and trustworthiness. Almost a decade later, I find fewer and fewer individuals who question Wikipedia's accuracy and integrity. There has truly been a dramatic mind shift in how academia relates to Wikipedia. The challenge today is no longer whether Wikipedia can be trusted, but rather how to make Wikipedia relevant to today's students.

Wikipedia is not necessarily the go-to for today's students at the post-secondary level. They are seeking information elsewhere and most often from social media platforms where misinformation is easily spread. In this lightning talk, I'll explore how Wikipedia now faces a crisis of relevance for today's students. I'll discuss the critical role the Wikipedia Student Program can play in making Wikipedia a central part of the information landscape in higher education

Author name:

Helaine Blumenthal

E-mail address:

helaine@wikiedu.org

Wikimedia username:

Helaine (Wiki Ed)

Affiliated organization(s):

Wiki Education

Estimated time:

5 minutes

Special requests:

Have you presented on this topic previously? If yes, where/when?:

Okay to livestream?

Livestreaming is okay

If your submission is not accepted, would you be open to presenting your topic in another part of the program? (e.g. lightning talk or unconference session)

yes