Online training portal for Ambassadors

This page lines out the requirements and the implementation process for an Online training portal for Wikipedia Campus Ambassadors.

Components

• Content
  • Introduction: Wikipedia in higher education (why we are doing it, high level view, how it works)
  • Wikipedia essentials (setting up a user account, how to edit Wikipedia, how to communicate with other users)
  • Wikipedia literacy (understanding what a WikiProject is, being able to navigate the user interface, knowing the anatomy of an article, understanding watchlists and discussion norms, knowing how to review articles, understanding disagreements, arguments, and edit wars)
  • Working with Wikipedia (understanding verifiability and reliable sources, knowing how to use a Wikipedia sandbox and when to move your article onto the main space, knowing how to submit your article to "Did You Know?", knowing how to engage the Wikipedia community, knowing how to get reviews and other feedback)

• Technical implementation: Learning Portal
  • Branching structure (learning paths for different kinds of learners)
  • Interactive content (drag & drop, games, flash cards, offline/online documents)
  • Videos
  • Quizes (Includes remediation: learner made a mistake and has to review the content again)

Implementation workflow

Step 1: Create a training design document (who is the audience? what are the overall goals? where will the content come from? who will be responsible for the different parts of the work)

Step 2: Perform a needs analysis (check which content does already exist, determine which content can be used for interactive components; determine approriate software and production strategies; how does the material age?)

Step 3: Topic sections: what needs to be created?

Step 4: Identify individuals / community members who will help with creating the content

Step 5.1: Creation of the Portal

Step 5.2: Content creation

Step 6: Quality assessment of the content

Step 7: Roll-out: Implementation on the online portal

Step 8: Beta-review (pilot with a new set of learners)

Step 9: Portal and content go live

Step 10: Future administrators of the portal get instructed

Timeline

• Steps 1–4: April – September 2011
• Step 5.1: July – September 2011
• Steps 5.2–10: October 2011 – January 2012

Perceived challenges

• Who creates the materials?
• How can the materials be designed in a way that enables volunteers to modify them? (particularly the interactive components)

Open questions

• Who will own the portal after it's done?
• Which materials will need to be translated?
• In general: global / diversity aspect
• Missing: presentation skills (workaround: 2 presenters who give each other feedback; Regional Ambassador may attend classes during presentations; missing skills could be identified during the initial Ambassador acceptance process and potential Ambassadors get recommendation to work on presentation skills)
• What happens to the trainers that we already trained? What's a good use for them? (possible answer: 1st generation trainers could do in-person training in new regions)
• How does the portal relate to the Bookshelf?