Wikipedia in teaching: benefits and stumbling blocks

Dulcie Hollyock Room, Ground floor, Baillieu Library

Map

Wikipedia is the world’s largest and most-used encyclopedia, and often students’ first point of call for research. To increase students’ understanding of how to read and contribute to Wikipedia, editing it is used in the classroom as a learning activity, or even an assessment tool.

Join us for a panel discussion on how academics from across Melbourne are using Wikipedia, and the issues they have encountered in embedding it into the curriculum.

Prof. Tina Brock will talk about how pharmacy students at Monash’s Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences learn how to edit Wikipedia pages as part of their course. La Trobe University’s Dr Thomas Shafee will share his experience of teaching biochemistry postgraduate students to use Wikipedia, and WikiJournals, for literature reviews. Chairing the panel will be Dr Mary Tomsic, a historian and co-organiser of the Melbourne University’s Wikipedia Community of Practice.

If you have considered engaging your students with Wikipedia or information literacy but don’t know how and where to start this is an event not to be missed – no matter what discipline you teach in! Everyone welcome - no booking required. This event runs as part of Information Awareness Month.

Panellists

Prof. Tina Brock, Monash

Dr Thomas Shafee, La Trobe University

Dr Mary Tomsic, University of Melbourne