Education/Get involved
We're adding more information and updating this page, as a part of which this page is in the process of an expansion or restructuring. We request you not to edit this page or remove the template before the page has been updated. You can reach out to the Wikimedia Foundation Education team at education wikimedia.org. |
Thanks for your interest in the Wikipedia Education Program! There are many ways to get involved and this page explains several of them. You can also read more general information on volunteering here. We hope you will decide to join us. :)
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I want to...
Start a new education program
editThe first thing to do is to figure out if a new education program is needed. Check our countries page to see if there is already a program in your area. If there isn't, please see continue reading.
Create a program plan
editWe have developed a step-by-step guide for planning a new education program pilot. Over the course of four modules, you can build an on-wiki strategic plan that considers the time and resources you have available, has measurable criteria for success, and figures out what you'll need to do to carry it out. If you are interested in starting an education project from scratch, begin the training below. You can also browse other program plans.
Consult the toolkit
editWe have also developed an education program toolkit, which is a very useful primer on education program problems and solutions. The toolkit shares best practices from the experiences of Wikimedia program leaders from around the world. It collects their shared knowledge, contains resources and strategies, and aims to be a blueprint for designing successful education programs. If you are interested in starting, planning, running, or evaluating an education program, the toolkit will teach you what works. You can learn more here.
Support an existing program
editWith dozens of existing programs, there is a lot to do! Below, you'll find some ideas. If you aren't sure how to help, you can contact the program directly or contact staff.
Become an online ambassador
editWikipedia Education Programs rely on friendly, helpful experienced editors fluent in the language of the program they support - we call these people "Wikipedia Ambassadors". Here, we offer training for people interested in this role, which is described in more detail at [[<tvar|>Special:MyLanguage/Education/Ambassadors</>|Ambassadors]]. This training covers largely the same material as the "for educators" training, with slight difference tailored to people helping with courses rather than leading (and grading) them.
Translate program resources
editThe Wikimedia movement is global with readers in hundreds of languages and thousands of multilingual contributors. If you are fluent in more than one language and are willing to translate, you can support the Wikipedia Education Program by translating pages on this portal, including our monthly community-led newsletter, along with other educational and informational materials that we are developing. This page has more general information about translation on the Wikimedia projects. If you are interested in becoming a new translator, Meta:Babylon is a good place to begin. There is a section there on getting started which includes some important links, and there is also a section on communication that tells you how to get in touch with other translators, who may be able to give you specifics about the work. We recommend reading the tutorial linked from the "getting started" section before beginning, if you choose to pitch in.
Transfer on-wiki training
editThe Wikipedia Education Program's on-wiki training modules, which are based on the successful US/Canada Education Program, cover the basics of contributing to Wikipedia for students, educators, and Campus and Online Ambassadors. These trainings, which are located on Meta, are designed to be relatively easy to transfer, or port, to other wikis (such as a specific language version of Wikipedia or another Wikimedia project). There, they can be translated and localized, or customized to meet the needs of that particular wiki. This page on Meta has detailed instructions for setting up the "for students", "for educators", and "for ambassadors" trainings on a new wiki.
Install the Education Program Extension
editThe Special:MyLanguage/Education/Extension was created to make Wikipedia work even better for educational programs. It adds a number of interfaces that help manage courses, students, institutions, mentors, etc, as well as improving workflow for everyone involved. It helps with things like managing enrollment, showing activities by students on the site and providing interfaces for analyzing and assessing the program. To learn more about the extension and how to enable it on your wiki, please see the Education Program Extension help page on English Wikipedia, follow these steps:
Teach with Wikimedia projects
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Educators around the world use Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, in their classrooms. As the fifth most visited website worldwide, Wikipedia is a resource already used regularly by most students. There are many ways that you can use Wikipedia and wiki assignments with your students. Each of the Wikimedia projects offers unique opportunities for curricular alignment and student engagement. Read about assignment design. Review all available materials to support teaching and learning on the Wikimedia projects.
Reach out to educators
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The Wikipedia Education Program can't work where people don't know about it. You can help by working with Wikipedia Education Program staff to reach out to teachers, instructors, professors, administrators and other staff at educational institutions around the world.
Learn how to contribute to Wikimedia projects
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Wikipedia needs volunteers to continue to provide value. The other projects also rely on volunteers, who create and upload media, write content, and curate materials on all of our educational sites. The Wikipedia Education Program has created a student training module, which takes about an hour to complete, to cover the basic rules and community norms of Wikipedia, the mechanics of basic editing with wikitext, and advice for choosing good articles and working effectively with other editors. It includes some interactive editing tutorials to give newcomers a chance to practice.
The Wikipedia Adventure is an interactive guided tour / tutorial / learning game. It teaches new Wikipedia contributors basic editing, cooperation and collaboration skills. It introduces project mechanics, philosophy and policy. The setting is an interstellar mission to outer space. The focus is a hypothetical article about Earth. Participants receive rewards (in the form of badges on their user pages) automatically after completing each of the 7 missions.