A presentation for the OER 2019 conference in Galway, Ireland on 10th April, outlining work on a module based around editing Wikipedia for digital and information literacies gain.

1. Wikipedia in Medical
Education: A subterfuge
Clare Thomson and Richard Fallis
@slowtech2000 and @RDFallis

2. Welcome to this ‘alternative’
talk
Where I try to walk the walk
It may fall horribly flat
But at least will make for chat
I’ll distract you with my frock

3. Even though we are in Galway
I’m going to use the Limerick
today
Cos I can’t dance, improvise or
sing
Words on the page are more
my thing
Let’s get underway …

4. There was once a learning
technologist
Always informed by an
appropriate theorist
She worked in meded
Through content she sped
Always a misunderstood
educationalist

5. Learning in the open, a vast
network
All experts, sharing their work
She teamed up with an expert
from the library
In the face of things new and
scary
Made a Wikipedia module after
the groundwork

6. We learned from the best,
Edinburgh’s Euan McAndrew
His time and resources, nothing
but value
In addition, WikimediaUK sent
resources our way
A connection with WikimediaIE
made our day
From there the module design
organically grew

7. The timetable to fill was three
weeks full time
One run in autumn, a second in
springtime
Face to face workshops
scheduled
With time to become settled
Getting used to Wikipedia in
their own time

8. By now you are probably at sea
Don’t worry it is both you and
me
The story is slowly unfolding
The details not withholding
We will get there in time for tea

9. Microsoft Teams met all our
needs;
Resources, private diaries,
communication feeds
Open learning sources
embedded with ease
This new space for students
was a total breeze
Open/closed meeting our safe
needs

10. The aim of the game was to fill
a skills gap
Digital and info literacy not on
the curriculum map
A lot is assumed
Even more presumed
So workshops were designed
around these gaps

11. Wikipedia, design, photography
and copyright,
Referencing, reference
managers, and finding info
alright
Each matched an assessment
requirement
Almost perfect constructive
alignment
Learning about open and
global plight

12. Whilst all for practical skills gain
We needed an assessment vein
Oral presentation, reflective
diaries
And of course, Wikipedia
entries
Across the course to cover all
domains

13. Came Rebecca from Dublin to
inspire and direct
For Wikipedia the students
gained new respect
Many were fearful of the
editing process
By the end of the session were
relieved of their stress
The WYSIWYG editor was the
perfect connect

14. They learned of the high level
of accuracy
The speed that corrections
were made unilaterally
The lack of diversity hit a spot
with many
Discovering the existence of
languages aplenty
Inspired but yet daunted they
began admirably

15. For assessment, TurnItIn was
entirely unnecessary
The Wiki community were swift
and disciplinary
When articles went to review
Most ended up making their
debut
A non-disposable assignment,
out of the ordinary

16. Student feedback and reflection
Spoke of their gain in direction
Creative, unique and autonomy
of choice
They each had a voice
Resulting in real world
contributions

17. I hope you found this fun
We are on the home run
There are many as yet
unthanked
For all the goodwill we banked
We learned more than the
students from whence it begun

18. Hannah Evans, Wikimedia UK
Rebecca O’Neill, Wikimedia
Community Ireland
Euan McAndrews, Wikimedian in
Residence at the University of
Edinburgh
Daria Casement, Queen’s
University Belfast
Amy Burvall and Dan Ryder for
the Intention book

19.  Neurogenic Bowel
Dysfunction
 Alice in Wonderland
Syndrome
 Forster Green Hospital
 Psychobiotic
 Psychological Stress and
Sleep
 Tertiary Peritonitis
 Red Pulp
List of
published
works: new
articles and
edited

20. “Publishing a Wikipedia article
has taught me a lot. It
enhanced many skills involved
with writing”
“I learnt for the first time how
to properly reference and find
materials. This module or
information should definitely
be taught much earlier in our
course.”

21. Additional references
Lydia Dawe, Ainslie Robinson, (2017)
"Wikipedia editing and information
literacy: a case study", Information and
Learning Science, Vol. 118 Issue: 1/2, pp.5-
16,
https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-09-2016-0067
McKenzie, B., Brown, J., Casey, D., Cooney,
A., Darcy, E., Giblin, S. and Ní Mhórdha, M.
(2018). From Poetry to Palmerstown:
Using Wikipedia to Teach Critical Skills
and Information Literacy in A First-Year
Seminar. College Teaching, pp.1-8.
https://doi.org/10.1080/87567555.2018.14
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