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Wikipedia & Education

Bukola James / User:Bukky658

João Alexandre Peschanski / User:Joalpe

Filip Maljković / User:dungodung

EduWiki Hub

Strategic updates and Global engagement

Strategic updates and Global engagement

Wikipedia & Education

CC BY SA 4.0, Heidy Amaya - Website and book

LiAnna

Davis

Meet the EduWiki

Board Members (EdW BM)

Chair

EduWiki UG

Filip

Majkovic

Membership Admin,

EduWiki UG

Joao

Alexandre

Treasurer,

EduWiki UG

Shreya

Dwivedi

Secretary, EduWiki UG

Ziko

Van Dijk

Special Advisor

EduWiki UG

Bukola James

Vice Chair EduWiki UG

• Understand the evolution of the Wikimedia & Education Movement
• Review key challenges and strategic responses
• Explore the Theory of Change and future EduWiki hub model
• Discover engagement opportunities for educators & communities.

Learning Objectives

• Evolution of the movement
• Key challenges and learnings
• Theory of Change overview
• Global programmatic updates
• Governance & Hub Infrastructure
• Engagement opportunities
• Next Steps & Q&A

Agenda

Abstract

In the next 25 minutes, we’ll explore:

• How the Wikipedia & Education User Group began in 2018, grew to 548+ members and 29 affiliates, and now partners with the Wikimedia Foundation on everything education, from mentorship to local program support.�
• Why fragmented support from the Foundation and regional initiatives has limited our impact.

• Our community‑driven Theory of Change, designed to knit these efforts into a cohesive, hub‑like infrastructure that delivers services to program leaders worldwide.
• Concrete program updates, engagement pathways for you, and the governance shifts under way as we pilot an EduWiki Hub.

“By the end, you’ll know exactly how to contribute to this next phase of Wikimedia in education.”�

Movement Evolution & Challenges

Early Adopters

WMF’s Public Outreach team, led by Frank Schulenburg, launched a formal education program to reverse editor decline, building support resources, community networks, and the first registration tech (later replaced by the Dashboard).

Wikipedian instructors got students to edit successfully.

English Wikipedia’s growth brought stricter rules and complexity.

Non‑Wikipedian instructors tried but failed.

Since 2013, gatherings from Milan to Prague led by WMF Education and program leaders culminated in User Group formalization in 2018, and WMF grants began requiring quantified student‑edit metrics. Major conferences followed in the Basque Country (2019), Belgrade (2023), and Bogotá (2025).

Despite our successes, we faced fragmented coordination across time zones with programmatic loneliness limited by our volunteer‑run structure and tools that can’t scale our education programs locally.

In 2023–24, 52 program leaders crafted a Theory of Change for a service‑centered, inclusive Wikimedia education ecosystem, strengthening networks, scaling tools, and shaping policy.

2001-2010

2010-2013

2013-till date

2025 onward!

Evolution of Wikimedia & Education

Era of Formalized Programs

Growing more globally now

Future of Eduwiki

Evolution of Wikimedia & Education

“Our big takeaway: only a community‑driven, service‑focused structure can unify and amplify our impact.”

Future of Eduwiki, LiAnnaDavis CC BY-SA 4.0

EduWiki Hub Action

This hub will focus on delivering services and bringing decisions closer to the community.

• Vision: A globally connected education ecosystem powered by Wikimedia projects.�
• Principles: open knowledge sharing, collaboration and networking, accessibility and inclusivity, sustainability and ownership.

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• Objectives: Promote global capacity building and volunteer support, enhance access to Open Educational Resources (OER), advance technical infrastructure for Wikimedia education programs, and strengthen global engagement through expanded community networks.

At its Heart: EduWiki Hub Overview

Future of Eduwiki, LiAnnaDavis CC BY-SA 4.0

EduWiki Hub model

The structure we all wanted is here!

• Governance: User Group Board—hiring 5 core staff (including Hub & Technical Coordinators as well as Admin & Comms. Assts.)�
• Fiscal Sponsor: Wikimedia Brazil ensures transparent financial oversight.�
• Advisory Committee: 4 inclusive working groups (Outreach & Engagement, Resource Curation & Development, Technical Infrastructure, and Capacity Building & Volunteer Support), each led by a board member with 7–8 diverse community reps.

Future of Eduwiki, LiAnnaDavis CC BY-SA 4.0

Where can you plug in right now?

The goal is to empower EduWiki communities through mentorship and accessible resources, including a structured Mentor-Mentee Program, expert-led meet-ups, an onboarding Starter Kit, local events, and continuous feedback for improved support and skill transfer.

Capacity Building and Volunteer Support Working Group

The goal is to promote inclusive participation and visibility for Wikimedia education through storytelling, knowledge sharing, and partnerships via regional representation, multilingual newsletters, and knowledge showcase sessions.

Outreach and Engagement Working Group

CC by SA 4.0 Bukky658

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CC by SA 4.0 Bukky658

The goal is to improve technical tools for Wikimedia education, with a focus on enhancing the Programs & Events Dashboard. This includes gathering community needs, coordinating feature development, refining usability through feedback, providing user onboarding guides, and maintaining support channels.

Technical Infrastructure Working Group

The goal is to build and maintain an accessible, diverse, and high-quality repository of open educational resources for Wikimedia education. This includes mapping programs to resource needs, managing a user-friendly OER platform, curating and translating materials, and gathering feedback to develop an EduWiki Starter Kit and resource offerings.

Resource Curation and Development working Group

CC by SA 4.0 Bukky658

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CC by SA 4.0, Bukky658

CC by SA 4.0 Bukky658

Future of Eduwiki, LiAnnaDavis CC BY-SA 4.0

How can you plug in right now?

Here’s how you can become an EduWiki Hub change‑maker today:

• Become our member by filling out this form.
• Join one of our 4 advisory working groups (Outreach, Resources, Tech, or Capacity).
• Sign up for our Community Showcase on September 1st!
• Grow our network via your institutions or user groups for an opportunity to bring our services to your region.

Q&A

What is one idea you’d bring to the working group

One question you have about the hub model?

EduWiki Hub Coordinator: bukola.james@wmnobrasil.org

On-Wiki: {{@WEUGB}}

Meta: Wikipedia + Education User Group

YouTube: EduWikiUG

Facebook: @Wikipedia+Education