Public Policy Initiative Evaluation and Research/WestED

Analysis of Curriculum & Development of Wikipedia as a University Teaching Tool

How successful was the curriculum that was developed through this project?

Was the project successful at recruiting and retaining new users? WestED will perform an independent analysis of this portion of the project.

Have you ever worked on a wiki? Have you ever used a lightweight markup language (like Wikitext)? Have you ever used a chat room? Have you ever downloaded/uploaded images or information from an open source (like Wikicommons)? Which of these media skills did you learn/use through the Wikipedia assignment?
Did you participate on the discussion page?
How much wiki experience do you have?
Do you think the skills with wikis, working with an online community, and collaborative writing process will be valuable for your future career?
Which medium of support did you use most (IRC chat, printed materials, screencast, videos)
Did you find article assessment, article writing, article editing, difficult?

In what area did the Wikipedia assignment help you improve (writing skills, research, collaboration, technology skills, media literacy, adaptability to working with an established online community, policy analysis)?
How useful was the Wikipedia assignment in learning public policy?
Did article assessment relate to the critical thinking process in policy analysis?
Do you feel you gained more from the Wikipedia assignment than a traditional assignment?
How valuable was the feedback on your article from the Wikipedia community?
Did working on a Wikipedia article improve your writing skills? Did it improve your collaboration skills?

Was the presentation and information from the campus ambassador understandable and useful?
How helpful and approachable was the campus ambassador?
How helpful and easy-to-reach was the online ambassador?
Who did you consult more with questions or issues around the Wikipedia assignment? Campus Ambassador, Online Ambassador, Instructor?
Who did you consult for help with the class most? (Campus Ambassador, Online Ambassador, Professor, fellow student)

Were the assignments clear?
Was the Welcome to Wikipedia brochure helpful?
Were the online materials like the Wikiproject page, introductory pages in Wikipedia, and information sent to your Wikipedia user account page helpful?
Were the classroom materials sufficient?
What classroom materials did you use?
Which of the materials did you use most?

Did the fact that the article had purpose beyond a grade change your motivation for the assignment?
What motivated you most for this assignment? writing for a global audience, your understanding of how knowledge is created, a collaborative effort, a new communication style, contributing to a worldwide project, getting a good grade?
What are your expectations?
Did your impression of the quality of articles on Wikipedia change
Did your understanding of Wikipedia change?
What do you use Wikipedia for?
How many times per week?
Did you expect the Wikipedia assignment to be fun? Was it fun?
What was your impression of the Wikipedia community, check all that apply: petty, helpful, supportive, educated, confusing, motivated by creating good articles, motivated by self importance, open to new ideas, stuck in the established way of doing things,
Did you find working with the Wikipedia community difficult or easy?
Was there as much interaction with the community as you expected?
Would you we willing to become a campus ambassador? Are you interested?
If offered, would you prefer a class with a Wikipedia assignment instead of a traditional assignment?