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WikiCred/2022 CFP/Wiki-Cred Boot-Camp for Information Professionals in Nigeria

< WikiCred | 2022 CFP

The information ecosystem is incomplete without an information cycle that is made up of different stages which are typically characterized by creation, collection, processing, dissemination, use, storage, and disposition with the effort of the stakeholders such as authors and journalists who make up the focal point of information creation and collection; editors, reviewers, and publishers who are in charge of processing information; Librarians and Teachers who are in charge of disseminating, using, storing, and disposing information; and media literacy Activists advocating for a safer internet and open access to reliable and verifiable information globally. In today’s world, the information providers and consumers are made up of a category of stakeholders whose independent and collaborative efforts as resulted in the increasing availability of information resources in print and non-print formats that has led to information explosion and widespread mis/disinformation and fake news, making the retrieval of credible and reliable information almost impossible as the art of finding out what is true seems to be more difficult than ever before. According to research conducted over the years — including a scientific study published by the journal Nature in 2005 and a report commissioned by the site's Wikimedia Foundation in 2012, Wikipedia is a world treasure , whose entries are comparable in quality to those in prestigious encyclopedias such as Britannica. It is however, difficult to measure the consistency of information on Wikipedia that can be altered at any time, as the quality of entries might be subjected to word count because longer articles will generally contain more details. Furthermore, presence of poor spelling and grammar are seen as signs that an article is substandard, and other times articles about the same topics are written and edited independently of each other by authors in different languages which may emphasize different aspects of issues; there might even be very different information. There is also a general misconception of Wikipedia not being reliable or proven to involve scientific research that can be resourceful to students and Academics in educational institutions in Nigeria. Moreso, online deceptions are getting harder to spot, even for people who grew up with the Internet," due to inadequate media and information literacy skills of the information consumer population; such as the inability to access, evaluate, monitor and create reliable and verifiable information. Even more interesting is the fact that the credibility of Wikimedia projects depends to a large extent on the availability of these information resources, most especially reliable secondary sources which are curated by varieties of literary, news-worthy, and scholarly authors. Wiki-Cred Boot-Camp is aimed at engaging information professionals in Nigeria in a series of activities that will strengthen the credibility of the overall information ecosystem, change their misconceptions about Wikipedia, and expose them to other Wikimedia projects that promote open knowledge such as Wikiversity, Wikidata, and WikiCommons.

Wiki-Cred Boot-Camp for Information Professionals in Nigeria
A WikiCred 2022 Grant Proposal
Project TypeEvent
AuthorBukola James,Linason Blessing, Barakat Adegboye, Rhoda James, Olani Olabimpe, Oluwaseyi Ogbonlaiye, Mariam Gobir
(Bukky658,Linason Blessing, Ridzaina, James Rhoda, Olani Olabimpe, Savvyseyi, Margob28)
Contactbukolajames2017(_AT_)gmail.com, Blessingsarmantha(_AT_)gmail.com, olamideadegboye6(_AT_)gmail.com, rhodajames136(_AT_)gmail.com, Wuseajs(_AT_)gmail.com, mariam(_AT_)kwasu.edu.ng, oluwaseyiogbonlaiye(_AT_)gmail.com
Requested amount$3,500 USD
Award amountUnknown
What is your idea?


Why is it important?

This is the first effort to bring together different actors in the information ecosystem in Nigeria and expose them to the importance of Wikipedia in the information ecosystem as an open knowledge based platform; need and impact of their involvement in free knowledge; get their views and opinions on how they share and create knowledge, and how the technologies we use shape information and free knowledge production on Wikipedia; backend activities of Wikipedia reviewers and administrators to prevent mis/disinformation and fake news online; expose them to the five pillars , and core content policy of Wikipedia; it controls measures for fact-checking that can be applied to the general information ecosystem to curb misinformation and disinformation online and on Wikipedia. More so, this project has the potential to orient, revitalize, train, and expose teachers to 21st-century ICT skills that will enhance their teaching methodologies, media, and information literacy skills, and provided them with an alternative format for using Open Education Resources in their classroom using Wikipedia as a learning tool to deliver quality education for life -long learning in the Nigerian Education system. Furthermore, this project is important because it will make Teachers proactive content creators in the information ecosystem and provide them with actionable guides that will help their students to identify and fight mis/disinformation, and fake news online. Thereby improving their ability to make sense of information, the ability to verify, evaluate, and shift reliable information from information chaos. By tying Wikipedia to the components of UNESCO's Media and Information Literacy framework, it will also assist instructors to understand the five pillars of Wikipedia.


Link(s) to your resume or anything else (CV, GitHub, etc.) that may be relevant

The project team includes

  • User:Bukky658(Project lead): is a fellow of Wikipedian in African Libraries, and the first Certified Trainer of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program in Nigeria. She has led several projects among which include: Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom Kwara, Nigeria, 1Lib1Ref Kwara 2022, WikiGLAM Awareness for Librarians in Kwara State, and Wikidata for Libraries and notable Librarians in Kwara State. Co-organiser Wikipedia awareness for Library and Information Students in Nigeria, Wikidata for novelists and their novels, and the founder of the Wikimedia Fan Club, Kwara State University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bukola-james-836a221a5
  • User: Linason Blessing (Co-lead): she is an experienced Wikibrarian, she has participated in various Wikimedia projects such as WikiLoveAfrica, WPWP, Wikidata (Media personalities in Nigeria), Winner of WPWP Kwara and Wikidata Media personality in Nigeria, WikiGLAM Awareness for Libraries and Librarians in Kwara, Wikidata for Libraries and Librarians in Nigeria, 1lib1ref 2022 Kwara, etc. She led the Wikipedia awareness for Library and Information Science Students in Nigeria and was a facilitator for the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom in Nigeria. https://www.linkedin.com/in/blessing-linason-6102651aa/
  • User:Ridzaina(facilitator): is a Wikimedia volunteer, who has gathered experience from contributing (as a facilitator and as an editor) to various Wikimedia projects like Wiki loves SDGs, WikiGlam, 1lib1ref, Wikidata for Libraries and Librarians in Nigeria, Wikidata for Novels and Novelists in Nigeria and so on. She was also a facilitator for the recently concluded Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom, Nigeria. She is a trained educator who is also passionate about learning and sharing knowledge and is also the General Secretary of the University of Ilorin, Wikimedia Fan Club. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Ridzaina
  • User:James Rhoda (Facilitator): is an experienced Wikimedian, who has participated in various Wikimedia projects (as a facilitator as well as an editor) namely; 1lib1ref, WikiGlam, Wikidata for Novel and Novelist in Nigeria, Wikidata for Libraries and Librarians in Nigeria, Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom Nigeria, etc.https://www.linkedin.com/in/rhoda-james
  • User: Olani Olabimpe (Advisory)-Wikimedian with over 30 years of experience as a library administrator and director at the National Library of Nigeria Kwara State Branch. She is also the chairman of the Nigerian Library Association Kwara State chapter. She has also participated in competitions and campaigns such as 1Lib1Ref2020, WikiAflib 1Lib1Ref 2021, and the local in-person meetup Wikimania for the Wikimedians of Sustainable Development in Nigeria 2022.
  • User:Savvyseyi (Communication Expert): is a trained facilitator who is passionate about providing solutions to challenges surrounding quality education, sustainable agriculture, community, personal and social development with interests in literacy programs and integration of technologies to enhance teaching and learning. She is a certified teacher with the Teachers' Registration Council of Nigeria and was a facilitator of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom, Nigeria. https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluwaseyi-ogbonlaiye-2754b0225


Is your project already in progress?

Yes, this program originated from the learnings gathered from the first implementation of the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program Nigeria which recruited 75 Teachers across 16 Local Government Areas in Kwara State (North-Central Nigeria) and succeeded in certifying 60 Teachers who met the training requirements.


How is this project relevant to credibility and Wikipedia?

One of the biggest lessons from Wikipedia is that knowledge is a social construction that is crowd sourced from voluntary contributions of free knowledge enthusiasts. News as one of the secondary sources of information on Wikipedia are sometimes susceptible to bias, manipulation, and private interests, and there is nothing inherently wrong with editing which is the core function of a Wikipedian, and one of the advantages of digital journalism. But it is different to update a text (Wikipedia article) than change a source (News), or add multimedia content to offer context than removing the information on the source once it has been published. Hence, credibility and openness are intimately related, and Journalists, Librarians, Academia’s, Publishers as well as Authors can learn from Wikipedia’s best practices. It also supports credibility which is a fundamental principle of Wikipedia, underpinning its verifiability (WP: V) so that Teachers and students reading and editing Wikipedia can confirm that the information comes from a reliable source. In addition to enhancing their media and information literacy, and research skills, the event could be used to support onboarding into Wikipedia editing practices, both in the information creation and dissemeination context and via more informal support provided to new editors. The project supports verifiability processes by providing learning support for the creation and use of Open Education Resources using Wikipedia as a learning tool.


What is the ultimate impact of this project?

This project will recruit 30 information professionals (Journalists, Librarians, Academia’s, Publishers as well as Authors in Nigeria to develop vital media and information literacy skills that promotes critical engagement with Wikipedia as an open-source platform and provides open access to fact-based information online. It will also impact information professionals by training them on how to;

  • Create new roles and opportunities for information professionals to become Wikipedia content creators instead of consumers.
  • Debunk mal-information, mis/dis-information, and fake news online to become fact-checkers and verifiers of information on Wikipedia, and other online sources.
  • Provide information professionals with opportunities to teach students essential 21st-century skills for lifelong learning.
  • Also contribute to Wikipedia in all 3 local languages available on the wiki-space for Nigerians (e.g., Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa)
  • Increse teaching efficiency, develop lesson plan, and improve classroom activities by incorparating Wikipedia into their curriculum.
  • Create and/or improve 100+ articles on Wikipedia (i.e.grammatical errors, broken links,expanding article sections, adding citations and images etc).
  • Create and/or improve 100+ items on Wikidata.
  • Create and/or improve 10+ new courses on Wikiversity.


Can your project scale?

We are positive that this project can quickly scale up and be adopted by other countries for a round table discussion that will proffer solutions to curb the widespread misinformation, disinformation, and fake news online as Librarians, Journalists, Editors, Authors, Academia’s, and media literacy Advocate look to connect and help build a better public’s understanding of the effective use of Wikipedia in among information producers and consumers in Nigeria. It will also increase participation of information professionals in the free knowledge movement.


Why are you the people to do it?

As information professionals with over 7 years experience and exposure to the paradigm shift in the information ecosystem and information service delivery, we possess the required skills to carry out this project. Also, we pride ourselves in our previous track record’s in meeting desired projects objectives and goals.


What is the impact of your idea on diversity and inclusiveness of the Wikimedia movement?

We planned to reach 30 information professionals (Librarians, Authors, Teachers, Publishers, and Journalists) in Nigeria and engage them in curbing the widespread mal-information, disinformation, Misinformation, and fake news online to build their capacity and enhance their editing skills on Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikiversity to address gaps about; • Lack or bias about high-impact content that leaves out underrepresented communities; and • Lack of contributors from those communities who are able and interested in developing content most especially information professionals. The impact of our idea on diversity and inclusiveness is also to coordinate across stakeholders in the Nigerian information ecosystem; work with interested Wikimedia communities, affiliates (User Groups), and individuals within and outside Nigeria on this project for partnership and support towards achieving success. This project will promote the use of Wikimedia projects as an important infrastructure of the information ecosystem. It will help Wikipedia meet the goal of becoming “the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge”, improve access to resource materials (OERs) for diversity targets and promote diversity as an asset. Moreover, onboarding new editors is a challenge for recruiting Wikipedia editors, particularly when they are unfamiliar with the core content policies/ 5 pillars of Wikipedia.The project will provide an onboarding pathway and support for new editors, developing an inclusive environment and encouraging contributions to free knowledge.


What are the challenges associated with this project and how you will overcome them?
  • Challenge 1: Recruitment of participants is a potential challenge: This challenge is controlled through our pre-existing relationships as Librarians with the Nigerian Library Association, National Library of Nigeria, Association of publishers, Association of Nigerian Authors, Nigerian Union of Journalist, union of Teachers in Nigeria, the ministry of education in Nigeria, UNESCO-associated project network schools in various institutions through Library outreach programs. We will also put up a call for application online for interested participants using google form.
  • Challenge 2: Identification of their learning requirements: Prior to the start of the project, enrolled participants will be given the opportunity to complete a pre-assessment needs survey. The outcome will be appropriately examined, and deliberations will be based on knowledge to provide a customized learning strategy.
  • Challenge 3: Participants' inadequate ICT abilities: It will be made very apparent during the registration process that participants must have a device that can connect to the internet, and that they will receive a pre-session on learning basic technical and ICT skills to assist them during the program. As a result, both the facilitators and the participants will find the training to be simpler.
  • Challenge 4: Ineffective communication and inability to receive feedback. The challenge will be addressed by providing participants with a communication channel such as Telegram, WhatsApp, and Facebook group to keep them updated about the program activities and also receive feedback. Also, the use of email messaging and text messaging during the implementation will be adopted to keep participants informed.
  • Challenge 5: IP address block: We will make sure participants sign up for a Wikipedia account before the session begins and come up with other creative ways to sign up using other Wikimedia projects such as Wikidata, WikiCommons, Wikiversity among others.
  • Challenge 6: Tracking contributions of information professionals during the program. This will be solved using the outreach dashboard to track their contributions and a weekly report on their progress will be communicated to them via a dedicated social media platform.
  • Challenge 7: Evaluation of projects. The team has identified evaluation methods such as post-program surveys, and one-on-one interviews with participants to be very useful.


How will you spend your funds?

Event Space: $200

Adaptation, and printing of the "Reading Wikipedia guide" for 30 participating Information professionals= $300

Food and Drinks: $10 x 37 participants = $370

Data Support for 2 online follow-up trainings for the 37 participants= $200

DSLR Camera rental: $30

2 Router purchase: $180

Data subscription on routers= $150

Communications: $100

Branded Shirts for organizers: $16 x 7 = $112

Certificates for participants: $6 x 30 = $180

Branded souvenirs for participants and organizers: $13 x 30 = $481

Bank Charges and logistics: $357

Gift vouchers for 5 top editors: $150

Support for Jury: This comprises of cost of gift and internet support to Jury = $200

Local running for 7 project team = $490

Total: 3500 USD


How long will your project take?

This project will take 3 months;

Planning (1st April – 30th April 2023)

Implementation (1st May – 30th May 2023)

Evaluation (1st June – 30th June 2023)


Have you worked on projects for previous grants before?

Yes, but not this project and was not funded by WikiCred. Some of the previous projects carried out by the proposed team members on this project can be found below;

Some other projects carried out by the proposed project team include:

Revised budget and scope

Note: Revised budget and scope based on award of $3,500 and merger with Wiki Media and Information Literacy Bootcamp for Educators in Nigeria

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