• January 9, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
• Continental 7, Ballroom Level

5B: The Pedagogical Practice of Opening up Knowledge: How Faculty and Students are Tackling Content Gaps on Wikipedia in their Classes (Workshop)

Click or tap here to join the meeting virtually

Organizers:
Helaine Blumenthal, Wiki Education Foundation, and Andres Vera, Wiki Education Foundation

Panelists:
Chelsea Gardner, Acadia University, Geoff Emberling, University of Michigan, Ann Glennie, College of the Holy Cross, Katie Rask, The Ohio State University, Victoria Austen, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, and Andres Vera, Wiki Education Foundation

Overview Statement:
Scholars have long recognized the creation and open sharing of knowledge as part of a disciplinary praxis of communicating human diversity, analyzing power, and critiquing inequality. In a media landscape experiencing a crisis of information access, equity, and integrity, open systems for sharing reliable knowledge offer an antidote to dis- and misinformation, and a critical, noncommercial space for communicating specialized knowledge. The Wikipedia Student Program, launched in 2010, merged the movements of open knowledge with open pedagogy. The program is designed to help students at institutions of higher education develop a range of critical skills while improving Wikipedia content. In the program (facilitated by Wiki Education), students from postsecondary institutions contribute to Wikipedia as a course assignment. In doing so, they improve content on Wikipedia on a diverse range of underdeveloped subjects, while honing critical skills, such as research, media literacy, and professional collaboration.

In this two-hour demonstrative workshop, attendees will hear from Wiki Education staff as well as faculty who have taught with Wikipedia in their archaeology of the ancient Mediterranean courses. The program will consist of a brief roundtable discussion where the audience will be able to hear how faculty have incorporated the Wikipedia assignment into their classes as well as hands-on activities to introduce the fundamentals of teaching with Wikipedia. The participating faculty represent the fields of Nubian, Greek, and Italian archaeology, religion, and history. We will tackle the impact that students can have in ensuring content on Wikipedia is accurate, equitable, and representative. We will touch upon the role Wikipedia can play in elevating the stories and voices of people who have been excised from normative historical narratives and why this endeavor is more critical than ever. Session attendees will learn how to integrate Wikipedia assignments into their own curricula and gain a more in-depth understanding of the role open knowledge can play in the fields of archaeology and classics.