Grants:Project/Literary Content Development- Multiple Languages (LCD-ML)

statusnot selected
Literary Content Development-Multiple Languages (LCD-ML)
summaryImparting Wikipedia know how to different departments' Research Scholars and Teachers of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit,Kerala, India
targetEnglish (en), Hindi (hi), Malayalam (ml), Sanskrit (sa), and Urdu (ur).
type of grantoffline programs and events
amount3000 USD
granteeDrcenjary
contact• wncenjary@gmail.com
affiliateWM IN
join
endorse
created on10:25, 1 October 2016 (UTC)


Project idea edit

What is the problem you're trying to solve? edit

In India, most universities are composed of many faculties of education and research each specializing and flourishing upon their own knowledge domains and subjects. Every such department is an adobe to many research Scholars and members of teaching faculty, who are hightly qualified and extremely through with their subjects. Many of them are also familiar with the modern computing practices besides being aware of the importance of the supportive media for general and academic education. However, the majority among them are not yet aware of the the existence and utility of Wikimedia projects. While some have a vague idea of Wikimedia's role as a complementary source of information, most are yet to be introduced to the fact that Wikimedia projects can also be enriched by their own worthy contributions.

Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS)(SSUS) with its head quarters at Kalady, Kerala state is one such typical institution where a multitude of languages are taught and researched upon with a high regard and aspiration to modern international educational standards and quality. The university has a considerable number of eminent professors, lecturers, research scholars/fellows and students who are potential contributors to Wikimedia both individually and collectively. The university has dedicated departments for languages such as Sanskrit, Malayalam, English, Hindi and Urdu.

At present, the members from these rich academic treasures are not sufficiently exposed to the tremendous possibilities of involvement in Wikipedia, Wikisource, Wiktionary and such other Wikimedia projects. There is a missing link between these two ecology spheres of knowledge evolution.

What is your solution? edit

The head quarters of SSUS is situated in the middle of Kerala, a state which is already rich with its own acclaims on literacy, academics,social and digital indices among the country and global south at large. There are flourishing volunteer communities in all the five Wikimedia language projects (viz. en, sa, ml, hi and ur). Some very dedicated members among these volunteers are also living in close proximity of the University. With many aiding factors, SSUS has the potential to be picked up as a model institution where Wikimedia volunteers can get involved and act as an interface, bringing up and connecting the missing link mentioned above.

As a solution to contain this task, a multi-mode multilingual content enrichment project is proposed here. With sufficient support from other volunteers from various Indic Wikimedia communities as well as from Wikimedia Foundation and its associates, the proposer and his supporters are confident that this project will set pace to a new era where the two rich knowledge circles will get continuously and permanently integrated. In long term, the project has ample scope to evolve as a standard model that can be adapted to other universities and educational institutions on a global scale.

As an initiating phase, we propose to lay out a short term plan comprising of the following steps:

  1. Call up, gather and involve interest groups from within the universities and Wikimedia volunteers and facilitate all stakeholders to meet each other via a few workshops and seminars.
  2. Introduce all stakeholders to the possibilities, resources, challenges, risks and realities. Conduct liberal and comprehensive brain storming among them both offline and online.
  3. Work towards setting up a MoU between relevant participating organizations and institutional departments.
  4. Design and plan a set of realistic and measurable targets with a concrete timeline and preset intermediate milestones via progressive elaboration of suitable methods, processes and activities.
  5. Provide training in multiple sessions (to both general and language-wise groups) on how to work within Wikimedia environment to all stakeholders via Workshops, demonstration sessions and continuous assistance and monitoring. Help the participants overcome localization, net access and other technical issues.
  6. Help the university departments to grow into their own self-reliant self-sustaining user groups with established norms and practices in long term.

The project plan will involve several meetings, workshops, digitization demonstration classes, preparation of training material and literature, offline and online communication and appropriate media outreach. In order to accomplish this, the team will require organizational and monetary support from the wider community as well as Wikimdedia Foundation (and its associate establishments).

Project goals edit

  • To produce Authentic Wiki Editors with Sound knowledge in their subject/language concerned.
  • Research Scholars, Teachers, Professors will join in the movement to develop literary and encyclopedic content with adequate standards and citations which will further give boost to the authenticity (esp of indic languages) without fail.
  • The Literary Content in the Five Wikipedias will become on par with the any other content available in the form of books.
  • This work shop surely will pave a way for the introduction of Education Programme at the Universities.
  • It will become easier to communicate with University academic bodies like University Academic Council, University Academic Senate etc once such programmes are organised

Project plan edit

  1. Are you doing one workshop or a series of workshops?

It will be a Four days of workshop

  1. If a series, how will you follow-up with participants online between sessions and provide support?

Though It will be a single workshop, the repertoire will help the participants to be in touch with the trainers. All of participants resides inside the campus repertoire is going very strong.

  1. What kind of participants are you targeting?

They are Students, Research Scholars, Teachers and Professors. All of them are resides in the campus

  1. What skills will you be teaching?

Editing Skills. Educating them What is Wikipedia, What is Wikisource, What is Wikibooks

  1. Do you have experienced Wikimedia editors to help lead the workshop?

All the following participants are available

  1. Do participants have the equipment needed to participate?

Yes, The participants will have their own laptops. University's smart hall is equipped with 50 (fifty) computers all facing the screen.

  1. How will you engage participants after the workshop(s)?

From the participant, (most active partipant) from each Department will act as a coordinator in future.

  1. Does your team have the capacity to support follow-up locally?
Yes.

Activities edit

Since I am here at this university itself very much available to the participants follow up is very much practical and feasible. If it is needed individual attention also can be given to the participants in future too.

Budget edit

Community engagement edit

Already I have discussed the matter in my community and enjoying their consensus as well (with nil opposition) in connection with similar project (focussing only one language (ur) at different universities of india. Link to consensus

Sustainability edit

This exercise can be repeated in the other universities as well. The experience we are likely get (based on the feed back of the participants).

Measures of success edit

  1. Keeping in touch with the partipants through phone/mail/personally
  2. Encouraging them to do edits and partcipate in the events locally with other linguagal communities as well.
  3. Simply by conducting edit-a-thon at university level

Get involved edit

Participants edit

  • Malayalam (ml)
Viswaprabha (Thrissur)
Ranjithsiji (Aluva)
Sidheeq (New Delhi)
  • Urdu (ur)
محمد شعیب (Nagpur)
فیروز اردووالا (Kannur)
  • Sanskrit (sa)
Nehal Dave (Ahmadabad)
Siddharth Dhodapkar (Bangalore)
  • Hindi (hi)
Hindustanilanguage (Hyderabad)
अजीत कुमार तिवारी (Kolkata)
  • English (en)
Jim Carter (Kolkatta)


  • Volunteer In an university it obvious we find different departments. Those united departments can help wikipedia's several languages. One university means 3 or 4 groups to work for wikipedia. I had done this kind of work before and I dam sure this project will fruitful too. NehalDaveND (talk) 11:43, 1 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Volunteer : During 2013-14, I was part of Christ University Wikipedia Education Programme covering five different language Wikipedias — Hindi, Urdu, Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada. I hope this project is approved and I am willing to contribute to its success. Hindustanilanguage (talk) 13:33, 1 October 2016 (UTC).
  • Volunteer : for Urdu wikipedia. Muhammad Shuaib (talk) 17:49, 1 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Volunteer I am a UG student at Christ University, Bengaluru and a part of Wikipedia Education Program at CU. I am an intern at Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru and Campus Ambassador for Wikipedia Education Program at CU. Basically I contribute to Sanskrit Wikipedia and sometimes to En, Hi and Mr Wikipedia also. I hope to contribute to this project in maximum possible way. Siddharthdhodapkar (talk) 16:08, 3 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Volunteer I am an active contributor in Malayalam Wikipedia. Also I am a co-ordinator of various outreach programmes in Malayalam Wikipedia. I am expecting great results from this project to Malayalam and other wiki communities and also for the university. I am ready to contribute to the success of this project Ranjithsiji (talk) 17:46, 4 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Volunteer Hi, I was one of the organizers of WCI and a long-term Wikipedian. I'm currently coordinating another similar outreach project. I'm more than happy to volunteer in this project as well. Jim Carter (talk) 17:52, 6 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Volunteer Hi everyone, I am an educator and working on possibilities of WEP in Hindi in various universities, hence it is obvious for me to make myself available for such projects. I wish a great success to this initiative. अजीत कुमार तिवारी (talk) 05:52, 10 October 2016 (UTC)
  • Volunteer I'm ready Sidheeq (talk) 13:54, 16 October 2016 (UTC)

Community notification edit

Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions. Need notification tips?

Hindi Wikipedians

Urdu Wikipedians

Malayalam Wikipedian

Endorsements edit

Do you think this project should be selected for a Project Grant? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project below! (Other constructive feedback is welcome on the discussion page).

  • Good, Support Sidheeq (talk) 13:38, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
  • I think looking for potential contributors to Wikimedia Projects in Indian Universities is a good initiative. This will surely help the projects in the above said languages. Strong Support. --SM7 --talk-- 20:19, 20 October 2016 (UTC)