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Wikipedia:Education Working Group/RfC

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NO CLEAR CONSENSUS:

The outcome of the discussion is not clear. A number of users involved in the project, both experienced Wikipedians and the target students and teachers, have indicated that they are pleased with the programme. These outnumber those who have opposed, who are mainly experienced Wikipedians; however, the number of opposes is significant, and the concerns raised seem pertinent. The concerns are about the quality of the work done, the amount of time needed to monitor and correct mistakes, and the value for money of the programme. These concerns appear to have been partly met with an analysis of the impact of the programme, which shows a net gain; though there is no extended discussion of the analysis by the opposers, nor an independent scrutiny of the data. As things stand, it appears that students and educators and some Wikipedians value the programme, but there are concerns among other Wikipedians which it would be helpful to address in order to ensure a smooth continuance of the programme, and its transfer to an independent organisation. SilkTork ✔Tea time 12:20, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The Wikimedia Foundation formed a Working Group in May 2012 to propose a future structure for the United States and Canada Education Programs. The Working Group, through in-person meetings and task force work, now proposes that the United States and Canada Education Program be operated as a Thematic Organization operating as a fully independent non-profit entity. This request for comment asks whether there is community support for the creation of such a new non-profit organization that would:

  • Support US and Canada higher-education institutions, their instructors, librarians and administrative staff that use Wikipedia for education by providing outreach, pedagogical resources, and administrative services.
  • Heighten the awareness and appreciation of academicians and research centers in the use of the Wikipedias.
  • Facilitate effective partnerships between the Wikipedia community and academia to improve the breadth, scope, and accuracy of Wikipedia articles and promote information fluency.
  • Work with all Wikimedia Foundation projects (such as Commons), not just Wikipedia.
  • Be governed by a board with representation from the editing community and academia.

Please read the more detailed explanations below, and consider supporting or opposing the RfC question below.

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