Education projects/Anatomy of a university
Universities are important partner organisations for Wikimedia. As creators, preservers, and sharers of knowledge, they have a mission which strongly overlaps with Wikimedia's goal of free knowledge for everyone. They are very complex organisations, both in their internal structure and how they benefit their locality and the wider world. This page is a guide to that complexity, to help Wikimedians and university staff looking at ways to collaborate.
Global reach and global reputation are important to universities, and increasingly so. With the growth of open education and open publication of research, there is increasing pressure for universities to be visibly involved in freeing up knowledge. While a high proportion of UK universities have a well-established, even ancient, reputation, they are keen to innovate and to adapt to technological and cultural change. Wikimedia can help with all of this. Here are the broad areas where we can work together:
- Universities have students
There are various ways to use Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in teaching. The most developed model, used in many courses around the world, is the Wikipedia Education Programme. Students get a real motivation to write reliably and neutrally, and See the case studies booklet or education portal for examples.
Outside the curriculum, Wikimedia UK and its partner organisations can help to support student societies, creating events focused on a particular topic. This needs active involvement and leadership from within the student body, however.
- Universities have expertise
By improving Wikipedia, experts can inform the widest possible audience about their research, and meet some of their obligations to inform and engage the public. This is particularly useful for early-career academics who want to practise writing for a lay audience, or for late-career academics who want to sum up their field. Expert contributions might involve being trained as a Wikipedia editor, or might be as simple as releasing research outputs or educational materials under a Creative Commons licence so that Wikimedia can use them with attribution. See expert outreach.
- Universities have libraries and archives
Libraries often have special collections, such as documents related to local history, or the private papers of a notable academic. By sharing this unique content digitally through Wikimedia, the university can raise its global profile. See cultural partnerships.
- Universities are notable in their own right
Within a campus there might be many notable buildings, people or things. There might already be ongoing efforts to document the history and activities of the university. Working with Wikimedia might be the best way to get this information to a global audience.