Learning patterns/Planning a course or program where students will contribute to Wikimedia projects

A learning pattern foreducation

Learning Pattern Library

Planning a course or program where students will contribute to Wikimedia projects

problemHow to plan a course, camp, workshop or other multi-session program that will teach students how to contribute to WIkimedia projects.

solutionUse guidelines and best practices from education program leaders to develop a course plan.

creator• KHarold (WMF)

created on17 February, 2015

What problem does this solve?

Teaching students of any age how to contribute to Wikimedia projects in a course, camp or workshop series does not have to be complicated, but some planning is necessary. This learning pattern will go through the basic steps of choosing an assignment, teaching materials, and deciding what students or program participants will work on each week.

What is the solution?

1. Learn about possible assignments and tasks: There are many different ways that students can contribute to Wikimedia projects, including writing and translating articles, catagorizing content on Commons, adding images, sounds, videos to articles and beyond.
2. Choose an assignment and teaching style that will work for your students based on their age, abilities and interests.
3. Select content for students to work on: It is a good idea to help educators create a work list for students to choose from that meet notability requirements or fill important gaps on Wikimedia projects. This is the one area that educators should try to get support from an experienced Wikimedian.
4. Set a week-by-week timeline: Contributing to Wikimedia in the classroom can be done in just a few weeks or for the full term. These guidelines for teaching students about Wikimedia in 6 weeks and 12 weeks can be adapted or shortened for different assignments.
5. Choose from a wide selection of training materials: We have brochures, handouts, videos, and on-wiki tutorials. Students can also learn how to edit independently using interactive training programs online developed by WMF or the Wikipedia Adventure. All of these materials and tools can be localized to your project.
6. Make a plan for how student work will be evaulated. This may only be necessary if students will be recieving a grade, mark or academic credit for the content they contribute to Wikimedia projects.

See also

Education Toolkit Learning Pattern This learning pattern is part of the Education Program Toolkit. Go to the toolkit.

Related patterns

Pedagogical Scenario Implementation

Focus on content

Evaluate student work

Editathon Worklists