An auspicious wiki beginning at university in the Basque Country[edit]

Author: Iñaki LL

Summary: The pilot cooperation program for the autumn term at the Basque Public University was completed in December 2016. A fruitful edit-a-thon in a privileged setting propelled the run-up to the deadline. Following a positive outcome, the wiki program is set for a follow-up in the winter term.

The pilot education program implemented by the Basque Wikimedians User Group was implemented as scheduled, starting in late September with two workshops for undergraduates (cf. December education news). The enrolled students worked in pairs or larger groups with a view to creating or enhancing articles in Basque revolving around relevant topics selected by the corresponding instructors.

In order to encourage editing and collaboration among participants, Basque wikimedians acting within the Donostiapedia project launched an edit-a-thon on 1 December, where volunteering members assisted young editors with their technical queries during a 4-hour span. The event, taking place at the flagship Carlos Santamaria Centre in the city of Donostia, was also attended by the corresponding tutors and librarian technicians.

The delivery of the wikipedia assignments was concluded by 23 December, after which the volunteers conducted an assessment of the articles for wiki specific achievement before handing them over to the relevant tutors for their consideration on topic related aspects. Uneven working progress was detected in mid-December, so the success of the program was not conclusive until results emerged in mid-January with a high rate of overall achievement. Academic authorities of University of the Basque Country in turn have shown an interest in a follow-up to the program during the winter term.