Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Unlocking Knowledge:A Wikimedia Journey at University of Maiduguri (ID: 22573418)/Final Report
Application type: Standard application
Part 1: Project and impact
1. Describe the implemented activities and results achieved. Additionally, share which approaches were most effective in supporting you to achieve the results. (required)
The project team organized Wikipedia editing workshops to train students on how to create and edit Wikipedia articles. We also conducted outreach campaigns to raise awareness about Wikipedia and its importance as a free knowledge resource. Additionally, the team provided technical support and mentorship to students to encourage them to actively contribute to Wikipedia. As a result of these efforts, the project successfully trained over 200 students in Wikipedia editing skills. It facilitated the creation and improving of 1319 Hausa and English Wikipedia articles on topics related to Nigerian culture, history, and science, while also improving the quality of existing articles through student contributions. The project significantly increased awareness and usage of Wikipedia among the university community. The most effective approaches in supporting the project's success were providing hands-on training and mentorship to students, collaborating with university faculty to integrate Wikipedia editing into course curricula and assignments, and organizing engaging outreach events to promote the project and attract student participation. The project demonstrates the potential of Wikimedia initiatives to enhance access to knowledge and digital literacy in educational institutions, particularly in developing regions. By empowering students to contribute to and utilize Wikipedia, the project has made a significant impact on the university community and beyond.
2. Documentation of your impact. Please use space below to share links that help tell your story, impact, and evaluation. (required)
Share links to:
- Project page on Meta-Wiki or any other Wikimedia project
- Dashboards and tools that you used to track contributions
- Some photos or videos from your event. Remember to share access.
You can also share links to:
- Important social media posts
- Surveys and their results
- Infographics and sound files
- Examples of content edited on Wikimedia projects
Additionally, share the materials and resources that you used in the implementation of your project. (required)
For example:
- Training materials and guides
- Presentations and slides
- Work processes and plans
- Any other materials your team has created or adapted and can be shared with others
3. To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding the work carried out with this Rapid Fund? You can choose “not applicable” if your work does not relate to these goals. Required. Select one option per question. (required)
| A. Bring in participants from underrepresented groups | Strongly agree |
| B. Create a more inclusive and connected culture in our community | Strongly agree |
| C. Develop content about underrepresented topics/groups | Agree |
| D. Develop content from underrepresented perspectives | Agree |
| E. Encourage the retention of editors | Strongly agree |
| F. Encourage the retention of organizers | Strongly agree |
| G. Increased participants' feelings of belonging and connection to the movement | Agree |
| F. Other (optional) |
Part 2: Learning
4. In your application, you outlined some learning questions. What did you learn from these learning questions when you implemented your project? How do you hope to use this learnings in the future? You can recall these learning questions below. (required)
You can recall these learning questions below: The project is designed to tackle distinct learning inquiries aimed at assessing its impact and efficacy comprehensively. These inquiries encompass evaluating the augmentation in participants' understanding of Wikipedia and its trustworthiness, quantifying shifts in attitudes and perspectives towards contributing to Wikimedia endeavors, scrutinizing the degree of involvement and interaction within the university community, soliciting feedback and gauging satisfaction levels among participants, and scrutinizing the enduring repercussions of the project on sustained engagement. Through meticulous data collection and analysis of responses to these learning inquiries, the project aims to glean insights to refine forthcoming initiatives and gauge the attainment of the envisioned transformation effectively.
In designing the project, we focused on key questions to explore its impact. We wanted to see how much students' understanding of Wikipedia and its reliability improved after our workshops. We also aimed to track shifts in their attitudes toward contributing to Wikimedia projects and to gauge the level of engagement within the university community. Gathering feedback from participants was crucial for understanding their satisfaction. By analyzing this data, we gained valuable insights that will help us improve future initiatives and inspire more students to get involved with Wikimedia.
5. Did anything unexpected or surprising happen when implementing your activities? This can include both positive and negative situations. What did you learn from those experiences? (required)
During project implementation, we encountered a few unexpected situations that provided valuable learning experiences. One pleasant surprise was the overwhelming response on the second day of our Wikipedia editing workshops, with participation exceeding our expectations. Many students shared misconceptions about Wikipedia, thinking it was machine-generated rather than collaboratively created. This taught us about the need for education on the Wikipedia model and the eagerness of students to learn more. On the other hand, we faced challenges in capturing photos due to restrictions in certain university areas. While a minor setback, it highlighted the importance of being aware of and respecting institutional policies. These unexpected situations reinforced the relevance of our project and the need to anticipate and address potential obstacles proactively. Moving forward, we will incorporate these learnings to enhance our initiatives and continue engaging students in promoting Wikipedia's collaborative spirit.
6. What is your plan to share your project learnings and results with other community members? If you have already done it, describe how. (required)
We plan to share our project learnings and results with the community through detailed reports, and social media updates mostly our WhatsApp Group.
Part 3: Metrics
7. Wikimedia Metrics results. (required)
In your application, you set some Wikimedia targets in numbers (Wikimedia metrics). In this section, you will describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used.
| Target | Results | Comments and tools used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | 50 | 65 | |
| Number of editors | 40 | 50 | |
| Number of organizers | 4 | 4 |
| Wikimedia project | Target | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 300 | 318 | 1001 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 50 | 86 | 86 |
| Wikidata | 100 | 51 | 707 |
| Wiktionary | |||
| Wikisource | |||
| Wikimedia Incubator | |||
| Translatewiki | |||
| MediaWiki | |||
| Wikiquote | |||
| Wikivoyage | |||
| Wikibooks | |||
| Wikiversity | |||
| Wikinews | |||
| Wikispecies | |||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
8. Other Metrics results.
In your proposal, you could also set Other Metrics targets. Please describe the achieved results and provide links to the tools used if you set Other Metrics in your application.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
9. Did you have any difficulties collecting data to measure your results? (required)
No
9.1. Please state what difficulties you had. How do you hope to overcome these challenges in the future? Do you have any recommendations for the Foundation to support you in addressing these challenges? (required)
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]10. Please state the total amount spent in your local currency. (required)
1165000
11. Please state the total amount spent in US dollars. (required)
722.88
12. Report the funds spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
Provide the link to the financial report Report
12.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, please provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
13. Do you have any unspent funds from the Fund?
No
13.1. Please list the amount and currency you did not use and explain why.
N/A
13.2. What are you planning to do with the underspent funds?
N/A
13.3. Please provide details of hope to spend these funds.
N/A
14.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement?
Yes
14.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
Yes
14.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
Yes
15. If you have additional recommendations or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. (optional)
Review notes
[edit]Review notes from Program Officer:
N/A
Applicant's response to the review feedback.
N/A