Open Pedagogy and Student Wellbeing: Academic Confidence Building with Wikipedia Assignments [1566] Members : #OER17

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Wed, Apr 5 2017, 1:30pm – 2:50pm

Authors: Stefan Lutschinger

Room: Seminar 4

Theme: Inst/Org Politics

Type: Presentations

Description

My talk will introduce the use of Wikipedia assignments in higher education, present a case study, discuss its benefits for students’ academic confidence building and propose a framework for evaluation and critical reflection. The evidence is based on the compulsory course module (level 6) ‘MED3040 Publishing Cultures’ of the BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Journalism degree programme at Middlesex University, Department of Media, developed in cooperation with Wikimedia UK and the Wiki Education Foundation. I will argue that Wikipedia assignments make a significant contribution to the process of building up academic confidence in five areas:

a) Enhancing academic practice (referencing; academic research; registers; proper use of encyclopedias and Wikipedia in particular)

b) Digital literacy skills (critical engagement with wikis; Wiki Markup Language and developing data literacy with Wikidata)

c) Overcoming writer’s block through the experience of text production as a dynamic process involving social negotiation

d) Published assignments: increased learner gratification through online publishing and the experience of connection to a wider community, gaining confidence through global peer review

e) Experience of encyclopedism as a engaging intellectual practice through the participation in knowledge compilation and publication

I will suggest the following framework for evaluation and critical reflection:

Seminar notes, using ethnographic method to document both teaching and learning experience, and student input
Wikipedia contributions: edit history, reviews, talk pages
Interviews: qualitative data collection in individual and group tutorials
Surveys: quantitative data collection based on surveys (Wikimedia 2016)
Formal and informal feedback processes through student feedback, student learning assistants and module evaluation

The presentation will reflect on three years of evidence-informed pedagogical practice with Wikipedia assignments, present a coherent model for teaching, assessment and curriculum design that has be adopted by other universities in the UK and internationally, and open up a broader discussion of the topic.

References

WIKI EDUCATION FOUNDATION (2016) For Instructors [WWW] Wiki Education Foundation. Available from: https://wikiedu.org/for-instructors [Accessed 23/11/16]

WIKIMEDIA (2016) Education Program Surveys [WWW] Wikimedia Outreach. Available from: https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education/Surveys [Accessed 23/11/16]

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