Higher education and the social ecology of Wikimedia sister projects

Presented at Wikimedia in higher education/2013/University of Sydney, University of Sydney, Friday April 5, 2013

Presentation slides

• Presentation Slides (Google)

Contributors

1. James Neill - Bio
2. More welcome

Abstract

The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) and universities are well-placed to work together to mutually achieve a common mission around building and sharing the knowledge commons - and, perhaps even more importantly, to enhance our human capacity to contribute to and utilise the knowledge commons. The WMF offers a stable, scalable hardware and software platform and organisational mission for developing and housing knowledge commons content through its social ecology of sister projects, including Wikiversity, Wikibooks, Wikipedia, and Wiki Commons. University communities, including academic staff and emerging academics, have great potential to capitalise on, and contribute to, the knowledge commons via the WMF sister projects. However, successful collaboration between universities and the WMF sister projects will depend on leveraging a cultural shift towards greater valuing and practice of open academia within higher education.

Some examples

1. Wikiversity
   1. Survey research and design in psychology - Open educational materials
   2. Motivation and emotion - Open educational materials + participant contributions
   3. Caregiving and dementia - Health training materials

See also

• Going naked - Openism and freedom in academia
• Open academia: A philosophy of open practice
• Wikimedia in higher education