Integrating Wikipedia Into Higher Education: A New Course Model for Social Impact

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 15
  In Roundtable Session: Institutional Responses to Addressing Students' Needs

Abstract

In 2015, a new innovative course was launched at Tel Aviv University - the first course dedicated to Wikipedia, approved by the University’s Rector, and made available to all undergraduates on campus. The course focused collaborative construction of knowledge using the Wikipedia platform. This paper investigates the design and implementation of this course model, including its assessment model, while highlighting the challenges for students & faculty, and the social impact the course had. This mixed-method research is based on the results of 3 iterations of the course - 88 participants reporting a unique and positive learning experience, 194 new articles, which have been viewed over 1.5 million times and an assessment model that was found efficient.

Authors

• Shani Evenstein Sigalov, Tel Aviv University

• Anat Cohen, Tel Aviv University