Abstract
In four undergraduate arts-related courses taught by three faculty, undergraduate students learned how to edit Wikipedia to present authentic research to a public audience. The goal was to increase free and open access to information about women and minoritized individuals in the arts, while simultaneously facilitating the acquisition and practice of student information literacy, research, and writing skills. This article outlines the assignments for each class, summarizes the reflections of students regarding their perception of learning, and discusses the pedagogical strategies and impact of using Wikipedia editing as a research assignment. While each faculty had diverse parameters and outcomes for her respective assignment and course, overall the public nature of writing for Wikipedia and the demonstrated need for presenting the contributions of women art educators, women artists, and Haitian artists created a common motivation for students and faculty to work together as knowledge constructors.
Highlights
We look toward the future of art education, investigating current research by art educators and sharing new grassroots approaches to teaching and new trends in art education
Our burgeoning scholars were able to recognize stumbling blocks, and to develop strategies for surpassing them, such as using Google Books to find secondary sources in order to demonstrate notability, a key strategy that developed as we were immersed in the process and staying flexible in the face of technical challenges
Some of the students’ contributions to Wikipedia did not pass Wikipedia standards for inclusion and were nominated for deletion or eliminated through “speedy deletion,” largely due to a lack of available secondary sources pertaining to their subjects, this, too, was a part of the requisite learning inherent in such a task
Summary
The Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon proved to be a challenging, yet empowering, authentic learning project for students in all four participating classes. One student’s endorsement of the Wikimedia Rapid Grant application funding another series of edit-a-thons conveys this new awareness: It's so important to bring knowledge to everyone about people in under-represented groups. Having participated in this event last year, I know how much it opened my eyes to how hard it can be to find information without Wikipedia's help, but it's so rewarding to be the one to bring that information together for everyone else.. Creating assignments for students to collaborate at a Wikipedia edit-a-thon event is a model for how to coconstruct knowledge in a way that was radical for students learning how to think critically and engage in their social responsibility to be inclusive and take ownership of their learning at this mid-sized regional public university
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
