March 1, 2013

Martha Groom: Writing for Wikipedia raises the stakes and the quality of student writing

Dr. Groom is a professor of Ecology and Environmental Studies in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences department at UW Bothell with an adjunct appointment in the UW Seattle Biology department. Six years ago, she began asking her students to create and edit Wikipedia entries and has continued to do so ever since. Why? Students benefited, she says, “Instead of a paper that only one person read and commented on, they could strive to meet standards higher than the typical entry, and have their efforts serve a common good.”

Why Wikipedia? “At that time, assigning students to post or edit entries on Wikipedia was a rare thing to do, but it provided a tangible, real world reinforcement of many principles of good research and writing habits that I, and all my colleagues, try to instill in our students.” These include:

• The importance of careful screening of and attribution for source material used in their synthesis
• Critical evaluation of competing ideas and presentation
• Thoughtful development of an argument and presentation of evidence
• Clear, concise writing

Student reactions: “Students found this an immediate challenge that pushed many to do stronger work than I had typically seen before. It was one thing to do a quick job for a term paper assignment, and another to put it out there for the world to see and judge. In interacting with the world of Wikipedians, many students had to confront challenges about their use of sources, their construction of a summary, or biases that were left unchallenged in their pieces. The larger Wikipedia community had precisely the same principles for what made for a ‘good’ post as we profs did — and these interactions added a layer that spoke far louder than grades and faculty comments on papers.”

Online assignments can help face-to-face class: “I rely on students doing a lot of reading out of class, but I also try to focus their work by giving them questions or tasks to complete before our discussion time in class. Sometimes that is by beginning the discussion online — to get the big ideas and concerns out there, or to share information the students have found before class so we do not spend time reporting, but instead spend our time in analysis and synthesis. Essentially, I am pushing for higherorder thinking in class, supported by the initial work comprehending and organizing ideas out of class.”

Her objective: “Helping students see the value in upping the quality of their work is my goal, and I still find that the very public and open nature of Wikipedia entries helps achieve this goal.”

Students see the value: “Students initially found the Wikipedia assignment intimidating, but I mostly got very positive feedback (including on anonymous evaluation forms). The fact that the assignment has a real-world outcome is most often mentioned, but others mention that it has helped them really understand the value of careful consideration of what makes an appropriate source, or other aspects of creating a sound synthesis of complex ideas.”

Learn More

Read the full Provost report on how UW faculty are enhancing teaching with technology.