Pond in the Botanic Gardens close to the conference venue
- What is it?
A day-and-a-half conference looking at Wikipedia, Wikiversity and related charitable projects, not in terms of educational resources, but educational practice, including good faith collaboration, open review, and global participation. It's a chance to talk about innovative work in your institution or online community, and shape the future of Wikimedia UK's work in this area
We will explore the ways these projects can support innovative education. We will discuss the Wikipedia Education Program (in which university students improve Wikipedia articles for course credit). We will learn from universities where the program is already embedded, exploring the educational opportunities and drawing lessons from the experience so far.
| Themes |
Who is it for?
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- The Wikipedia Education Program
- Open Educational Resources
- Critical thinking, digital literacy and wiki-literacy
- Assessment and accreditation
- Open learning communities such as Wikiversity
- Secondary and further education
- The meanings and benefits of "open" education
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- Educators in universities and schools
- Support staff from institutions and funding bodies, including management, staff developers, learning designers, and librarians
- Students
- Contributors to Wikipedia, Wikiversity or the other Wikimedia projects
- Contributors to other open education projects
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For further background, see the draft education strategy.
Programme
The conference runs from Wednesday morning until after lunch on Thursday. There are breakout rooms in addition to the main room, all with modern presentation facilities.
Propose a session, or help us shape the programme on this wiki: see /Call for papers
Publicity and social media
Spread the word about the conference and tell others that you're going.
Getting there
Venue and travel
The conference venue and accommodation are in the University's Oadby campus; Stamford Hall's postcode is LE2 2ND, while John Foster Hall is LE2 2LG.
Leicester's location within Leicestershire and the rest of the UK
- Train. Leicester has a main line direct connection to London St Pancras (travel time around 75 minutes). The north and the Midlands are connected via East Midlands Trains with regular connections to Sheffield, Leeds, Birmingham and Lincoln.
- Taxi. The campus is 3 miles from the Leicester Rail Station. It takes approximately 10 minutes and costs around £6. Please ask to be taken to the Oadby Campus and NOT the University of Leicester.
- Bus. Route 31/A from City Centre via Leicester train station to the Halls of Residence
- Air. East Midlands Airport, Birmingham International Airport, Luton, Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow all have connections to Leicester. Please see here for more details.
Built in 1907, Stamford Hall combines oak-panelled rooms with modern facilities and wi-fi. There is a large free car-park on site. Lunch and refreshments will be provided on both days.
The rooms and dining area are all on the ground floor and the buildings have access ramps. A disabled toilet is available close to the meeting rooms.
If you are traveling from abroad, you may want to consider extending your stay to visit Wikimedia UK's GLAM WIKI 2012 Conference in London on 14-15 September.
In the area
The University of Leicester Harold Martin Botanic Garden is a garden located close to the event's site. It has been set up in 1921. Other attractions in Leicester include National Space Centre and New Walk Museum and Art Gallery.
Booking
An on-line form is in preparation. There will be a small charge for attendance. Accommodation needs to be booked separately if needed. If you are happy to make an early commitment to attend, please email daria.cybulska
wikimedia.org.uk, and you will get a reminder when booking is open.
Accommodation
Bed-and-breakfast accommodation will be available at John Foster Hall, a few minutes' walk from Stamford Hall. This includes en-suite bathroom and shower, wi-fi and access to a kitchen/ shared space. Some rooms are fully adapted for wheelchair users. The cost will be £40.80 per night including VAT and a booking form will be available in mid-May.
Student bursaries
A total of four bursaries are available to help students take part in the conference. These are available to undergraduate or postgraduate students in formal education who are interested in promoting Wikimedia projects within their own institution. Each bursary covers travel expenses to the conference from within the UK, one night's accommodation, and the conference fee, which includes lunches. Reasonable travel expenses are defined in the expenses policy.
Contact martin.poulter@wikimedia.org.uk by the end of June, with just a short note saying who you are and your interest in Wikimedia (e.g. editing Wikipedia) and education (e.g. working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant). Bursaries will be awarded on the basis of 1) credibility of your commitment to advance Wikimedia's goals, and 2) diversity of interest, i.e. not four people from the same university or four people who study the same subject.
Any Questions?
Please ask on the talk page.
: EduWiki Conference 2012
