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Wikipedia Campus Ambassador (CA) role is a volunteer (unpaid) position. Wikipedia Campus Ambassadors can be undergraduate/graduate/post-graduate students, college/university staff members, faculty members, or anyone geographically close to the college/university – the main qualification is that you must enjoy teaching people and spreading your passion for free knowledge.
Campus Ambassadors do in-class presentations that introduce students to Wikipedia-editing, run workshops on the technical and cultural aspects of Wikipedia, and in general offer in-person Wikipedia mentorship to students. They also lead outreach efforts at college/university campuses to spread the word about Wikipedia and recruit additional Ambassadors. They also help teachers who are interested in incorporating Wikipedia-editing in their teaching plans.
Typical activities as performed by a CA are:
- Help identify and recruit teachers on your campus who would be interested in incorporating Wikipedia-editing into their classes.
- Work with interested teachers on your campus in adapting existing teaching methods to include Wikipedia-editing
- Provide face-to-face training to students on Wikipedia-related skills. This would include:
- Conducting in-class presentations
- Providing in-person mentorship for students
- Conducting refresher sessions
- Set up Wikipedia help desk in campus
- Recruit and train new CAs
- Be a point of contact between students and Wikimedia Foundation, between professors and Wikimedia Foundation
- Help recruit new Wikipedia contributors on campus, possibly through the creation of a Wikipedia student club
Click here for a more detailed role of the Campus Ambassador that will be shared with the applicants.
There will be certain per-requisites to apply for the CA Program:
- The applicant should have a wiki username. If the applicant is new to Wikipedia please create one before applying.
- The applicant should have a wiki user page. If the applicant is new to Wikipedia please create one before applying.
- The applicant should have basic Wikipedia editing experience. If the applicant is new to Wikipedia s/he must start editing and should have minimum editing experience on the following:
- Applicant should have minimum 50 article edits.
- Applicant should be familiar with the protocol of communication on Talk/Discussion pages.
- The applicant should be self motivated.
- The applicant should be able to devote 3-5 hrs in a week to the Campus Ambassador Program.
- The applicant should have convenient transportation to the school/university enrolled in the program.
Click here for more detailed information on pre-requisites for a CA
We'll use multiple channels to invite CA applications:
- GeoNotices and geo-targeted CentralNotices
- In-class announcements
- Mailing on India mailing list
- Mailing on school's mailing list
- Putting poster on campus
Click here to access the CA application form.
- The recruitment process will be based on applications shortlists, preliminary skype/phone interviews and a more detailed skype/phone/face-to-face interview.
- These interviews will be conducted by the existing CA and Steering Committee.
- Some of the criteria that will be kept in mind during the selection process are:
- The applicant should have basic understanding about Wikipedia
- The applicant should be proficient with computers
- The applicant should have leadership qualities
- The applicant should be patient to teach Wikipedia editing and policies to newbies
- The applicant should be confident to conduct in-class presentations
- The applicant should be able to break down complex material into easily understandable content
- The applicant should be an effective teacher
- The applicant should have convenient transportation to the school/university enrolled in the program
- The applicant should be able to devote 3-5 hrs per week towards the IEP
- Both the organizers and new CAs will have to do pre-orientation preparations.
- Major topics covered will include: overview of the IEP, expectations and responsibilities of CAs, presentation and public speaking skills, how to teach newbies to edit Wikipedia, tips on working with professors and students, and fundamental Wikipedia-editing skills.
- Pre-orientation preparation by the new CAs
- Read the following presentations in detail.
- Module 1
- Module 2
- Module 3
- Module 4
- Increase their edit count to at least 80 before the orientation day.
- Come prepared with a list of questions they have about the 4 presentations/IEP/Wikipedia/Wikipedia editing.
- Join the CA Mailing List.
- Pre-orientation preparation by the organizers
- Work on the presentation to cover all important aspects to train new CAs.
- Decided the dates and timing to conduct the orientation.
- Arrange for a venue for a 2 day orientation. The room should have a projector and enough capacity to comfortably accommodate new CAs and the organizers.
- Arrange for lunch and evening snacks for the 2 days.
- The organizers will circulate this form amongst CAs to get their availability for the orientation on a pre-decided date and venue, their T-shirt sizes, institute/place of work, to know whether they have joined CA mailing list or not.
- All CAs will be required to participate in an orientation (training), to make sure that they clearly understand what is expected of them and to sharpen the skills they need to perform their role well.
- CA Orientation will be conducted over 2 day period typically between 9-5.
- CA Orientation should aim to provide following details to the new CAs:
- What is Wikipedia?
- Who edits Wikipedia?
- What are talk pages and discussion pages?
- What's the protocol of communicating on talk pages/discussion pages.
- At least 3 hours should be spent on actual Wikipedia editing
- A session should be conducted by the existing CAs to talk about various challenges and problems they faced in the pilot.
- A session should be conducted by the local community members to come in and talk about Wikipedia and IEP.
- CAs should bring their own laptops to do Wikipedia editing during the orientation.
- Towards the end of the orientation CAs will be give an assignment to complete. Only those participants who perform well in the assignment will be accepted as CAs.
- CAs will have to fill provide weekly update on their performance.
- In case of inactivity warning will be given to CAs.
- Organize regular Google hangouts or physical meets at least once a week.
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