Wiki-Learning: Engaging with Deaf Culture through a Wikipedia University Project

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Although Wikipedia, the collaborative content online encyclopedia, is often criticized as an unreliable information source, its use is ubiquitous on college and university campuses around the world. This paper describes a university-level Wikipedia project in which undergraduate students in a rehabilitation services program engaged with the Deaf community and Deaf culture by editing and expanding Wikipedia entries related to well-known Deaf people, Deaf culture, and Deafness generally. Students also engaged with the global community of Wikipedia authors and editors in collecting and sharing information. The objective of the project was to create and improve comprehensive and balanced coverage of Deaf culture and Deafness-related issues on Wikipedia. Throughout, Wikipedia served as a new tool for digitally mediated learning. Through the project, students gained collaborative experience and online searching, editing, and publishing skills. They also developed skills in evaluating primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, gained operational effectiveness in website and open source development, and sharpened their critical thinking and analysis skills. A Deaf professor who specializes in Deaf rehabilitation developed and facilitated the project to enhance student’s capacity to function as scholars in a digital world. Ultimately, students made significant contributions to the body of knowledge related to Deafness, and their work improved Wikipedia’s value as a source for Deafness related material.

Stream: Technology in Learning; Maths, Science and Technology Learning

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Dr. Shawn P. Saladin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Pan American. He is also the Coordinator of the Services to Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing undergraduate concentration. He is late deafened and communicates orally. He is skilled in American Sign Language, total communication, and Signed English. Dr. Saladin’s research interests include the use of technology in teaching and learning, especially in facilitating cultural understanding; assistive technology for people with hearing loss; and Deaf-hearing relationships.