Education
Unlocking the power of open knowledge
Wikimedia UK demystifies and drives engagement in open knowledge. For over a decade, we’ve been using Wikimedia to teach people how to find and understand information online. We work in various settings, including schools, universities, and community spaces, both online and in person. Our staff team and network of volunteers train around 1,000 people each year to contribute to Wikimedia, improving their digital skills and media literacy.
Our research shows that learning to contribute to Wikimedia helps people better understand, assess, and navigate online information, with participants in our programmes reporting increased confidence in their digital skills. Educators worldwide are using Wikimedia for learning – teaching key skills in information literacy, collaboration, writing, information synthesis, source evaluation and data science etc. Equipped with the essential tools to navigate the digital landscape, individuals are also empowered to become active contributors and increase their civic participation; strengthening UK society.
The most relevant Wikimedia projects for education include: Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikibooks. These all promote resilience to information disorder and deepen people’s understanding of the world around them and the role and importance of open knowledge. Wikimedia UK’s Information Literacy and Digital Skills Development projects in educational spaces help to address the challenges of the digital age.
We are always keen to establish new partnerships and collaborations with schools, universities and other informal learning spaces. Let’s explore how we can work together to increase our shared understanding of the world through open knowledge. Get in touch: [email protected]
“I enjoy writing articles about my interests and uploading them on the Wikipedia website. I’ve been learning coding skills, and I’ve written a few articles related to the work I’m studying in my science lessons and I’m looking forward to writing more!“.
– Mared Griffith, Year 12 pupil at Ysgol Syr at Thomas Jones, Amlwch
Secondary Schools
The digital age has transformed how young people access and interact with information. However, many lack the essential skills to navigate the complexities of the online world. Misinformation, disinformation, and online harm pose significant challenges to young people’s education and well-being.
Having successfully delivered secondary school projects with WiciMôn in Anglesey and our collaboration with the Sankofa London Schools Project, we are looking to expand our work in this area. Through workshops, students develop their writing skills, writing in an encyclopedic format for a public facing platform. They also learn and develop their facilitation skills and will have the remit to engage others beyond their classroom to edit Wikipedia.
Our approach involves:
- Facilitated Engagement: We partner with schools to deliver engaging activities that introduce students to Wikimedia projects. This can be discussion-based and does not necessarily involve live editing.
- Critical Thinking Development: Editing Wikipedia requires students to research, analyse, and evaluate information, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Information Literacy Enhancement: Students develop essential digital skills, including online research, information evaluation, and responsible digital citizenship.
- Resilience Building: By understanding how information is created, cited, and shared, students become more resilient to information disorder and can better discern credible sources.
Higher Education
Our classroom-based workshops at universities (Wikimedia in the classroom) and colleges involve students earning credits towards their courses through learning to edit Wikipedia. The sessions are typically designed and led by a Wikimedian in Residence, an experienced editor embedded within an institution. The range of internal and external activities include supporting courses, working with student programmes, coordinating across various departments such as university collections, library, staff skills development, etc.
The University of Edinburgh was the first university in the UK to employ a university-wide Wikimedian in Residence. This model has since been replicated at several other higher learning institutions such as Imperial College London, Universities of Portsmouth, Exeter, and Oxford and Coventry Universities, etc.
Another way that Wikimedia UK empowers students is through Wikimedia-focussed internships and real-world student placement opportunities focused on delivering Wikimedia-related projects.
“By learning how to contribute articles to Wikipedia, students and staff become better able to evaluate how knowledge is constructed, curated and contested online.”
“Alongside this, editing Wikipedia gives room for valuable development for students’ research and communication skills, enabling them to make genuine contributions to knowledge.”
Ewan McAndrew, Wikimedian in Residence, University of Edinburgh.
Community Learning
At its heart, information literacy empowers citizens to access, create, consume and critically evaluate information. It builds understanding of the ethical and political issues associated with the use of information, including privacy, data protection, freedom of information, open access/open data and intellectual property.
Wikimedia UK’s activities can increase citizen engagement in democratic processes through our work in information literacy by:
- Providing open and free access to accurate information
- Improving information literacy skills of individuals
- Encouraging volunteering
- Providing accessible collaborative infrastructure.
Working on Wikimedia UK projects can facilitate this spirit of working towards a common good, free knowledge for all. It also enables cooperation with others and activism, which in the long run encourages an empowered civil society. This we believe can go a long way towards realising Wikimedia UK’s vision of a more informed, democratic and equitable society.
In practice, this can be realised through a number of community engagement activities such as public Workshops and Editing Clubs. Edit-a-thons (group editing events in spaces like galleries, libraries, and museums where volunteers, experts, amateurs and novices collaborate on editing Wikipedia), are another effective way of encouraging citizen participation and empowering underrepresented communities.
Let’s work together
By investing in Wikimedia UK’s Information Literacy and Digital Skills Development programme, particularly our work in secondary schools, you can make a significant contribution to the future of young people. You can also partner with us in empowering the next generation with the skills they need to thrive in the digital age. Your support will help to bridge the digital divide and ensure that all young people have equal access to the tools and knowledge they need to succeed.
Together, we can create a future where all people are informed, can think critically, and are active participants in the digital world.
Support Wikimedia UK
Whether you make a single gift or pledge a monthly donation, together we will achieve our vision of a world where every single human being can share in the sum of all knowledge.
