Teaching to Impact: A Toolkit for Embedding Wikipedia Assignments in Asian Studies Curriculum

Some students in PAAS 302 expressed concerns about the assessment criteria for their Wiki editing assignment. This included the tension between having the freedom to choose their own topics and the relevance of the chosen topics to course content; whether editing Wikipedia articles in languages other than English is allowed and how to conduct peer review when students had varying levels of fluency or foreign language skills. They also mentioned the challenges of communicating with other Wikipedia editors and the technical anxiety caused by editing and deleting content, but generally felt that the time commitment was reasonable.

Some of the concerns were discussed in the Section 4 Challenges in Teaching and Learning Process. To address possible concerns on assessment, the instructor may consider the following in Weeks 6-9, when students decide on their Wikipedia editing topics:

• Provide clear criteria and guidelines for grading assignments, including how topics must be related to course content and how relevance must be demonstrated in group presentations. Clarify the limitation of choosing English Wikipedia articles and how to save and present students' edits. Also, provide guidance on how to conduct peer review, and remind students that whether their edits are accepted by other Wikipedians will not affect their grades.
• Share the Wikipedia Assignment Assessment rubric table from Wiki Education to guide students in conducting peer reviews.

Some students were able to conduct extensive research and produce high-quality content, while others faced difficulties in this area. Assessing individual effort in group work can be a challenging issue. 

We recognize that the scope of Wikipedia topics can result in various levels of editing efforts from students. For example, one group in PAAS 302 chose the broad topic of the translation of modern Chinese literature and found the task daunting. To address this, we suggest that students discuss their chosen Wikipedia topics with the instructor and receive approval before beginning their editing work. 

Additionally, we recommend assigning individual reflection papers to allow students to demonstrate their individual contributions, experiences, and thoughts in participating in the group work of editing Wikipedia articles. This will also help in assessing individual effort.