Wikipedia:Concerns with United States Education Program

This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

This page in a nutshell: Wikipedia assignments are not for everyone. For instructors, before assigning wiki assignments, evaluate whether they're right for you. For ambassadors, assist instructors in determining whether wiki assignments are right for them, and identify early on which courses are problematic and whether they're worthwhile.

The following is a list of concerns raised with the United States Education Program.

How should transgressions be handled? At what point is it not worthwhile?

• Class performance is often based around a bell curve. As such, a certain percentage of the students will perform the assignment incorrectly. Depending on the class size and level, the number of students who incorrectly do the assignment will vary.

• Class size. For large classes, it may not be possible to provide adequate supervision. Edits may be small, incorrect, and clog up watchlists. Students may be less responsive.

• Class level. A Wikipedia assignment is often given to demonstrate the student has learned material, which is introduced in the class. As such, the student does not necessarily have a thorough understanding of the subject, especially for complex topics. Contributions may be skewed or incomplete.

• Unresponsiveness.
  • Students have other classes to attend and social lives to maintain. How should unresponsive students be handled? How long should we wait?
  • Professors may also be unresponsive.

• Plagiarism