⛏️Demolishing the Ivory Towers: Bringing Universities and Open Knowledge Communities Together at Wikimania 2024

Abd Alsattar Ardati
Tuesday 17 September 2024
The photo credits: 24klatkifilmy for the Wikimedia Foundation CC BY-SA 4.0

📅 8th August 2024
📍 Katowice, Poland

The IDEA Network was thrilled to participate in Wikimania 2024 with our workshop titled “Demolishing the Ivory Towers: Bringing Universities and Open Knowledge Communities Together.” This session was a pivotal moment for us, aimed at bridging the gap between universities and the open knowledge community, focusing on our mission at the University of St Andrews.

Kirsty is Excited about the Workshop!

This workshop marked an important moment in our journey toward creating stronger, collaborative ties between educational institutions and open knowledge platforms, such as Wikipedia. Founded amidst the pandemic in April 2021, the IDEA Network emerged out of a critical need to address the underrepresentation of marginalised communities and subjects on open platforms. Our mission: to promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in research and community engagement.

Breaking Down Barriers

In this workshop, we explored how universities can better collaborate with Wikimedia projects to build an inclusive digital knowledge environment. While Wiki collaborations with universities are not new, our approach brought a fresh perspective by focusing on the research side of things.

Things are going well selfie!

The digital age has opened up vast amounts of knowledge, but it hasn’t been equally accessible to all. Underrepresented communities and lesser-known subjects often struggle for recognition. With this in mind, the IDEA Network has worked diligently to support researchers in navigating this landscape, providing resources and guidance to those aiming to contribute meaningfully to Wikimedia projects. 🌍

Our workshop at Wikimania revolved around the ongoing need for research pathways, ethical considerations, and community engagement. Participants gained hands-on experience, collaborating with us to create a structured approach to tackling the challenges of digital research within open knowledge initiatives.

🚀 Presentation: IDEA Network in Action

Our workshop began with an introduction to the IDEA Network’s mission and projects. We showcased our interactive web tool, designed to help institutions implement open knowledge projects that are accessible and inclusive. Success stories from our collaborations—ranging from PhD research projects to Wiki-editing training for youth and undergraduates—highlighted how we are breaking down barriers and enhancing digital literacy.

🛠️ Engaging Activities

After the presentations, we shifted the focus to hands-on activities, allowing participants to engage directly with the challenges and opportunities in digital research and knowledge exchange.

Group Activity 1: Identifying Challenges and Opportunities 🤔

After the presentation, we invited participants to dive into an interactive session where they broke into small groups to identify challenges and opportunities in digital research and open knowledge projects. Using post-it notes, each group listed their top three challenges and opportunities. The energy in the room was palpable as participants discussed common hurdles—such as navigating research ethics or engaging with marginalised communities—and brainstormed ways to overcome them.

We had to challenge categories; the ones in the pictures are for those within your control.

Group Activity 2: Brainstorming Solutions 💡

With challenges identified, the next step was to brainstorm innovative solutions. This session saw participants working together to propose creative ideas to tackle the obstacles they’d identified. Each group presented one solution, and we were thrilled by the variety of perspectives that emerged, from new approaches to collaboration with the Wikimedia community to strategies for making research more inclusive.

We had two solution categories; the ones in the picture are those that could work right now.

Fostering Future Collaborations

Our goal is to continue dismantling the “ivory towers” that often separate academia from open knowledge communities. The workshop allowed us to reflect on both successes and challenges, as we discussed how universities can engage more deeply in the Wikimedia ecosystem. We believe that by sharing case studies and pooling collective knowledge, we can inspire future research collaborations across institutions.

For us at the IDEA Network, this was more than just a workshop—it was a collaborative, learning environment where we could exchange experiences, reflect on our journey, and encourage others to explore the untapped potential of open knowledge projects.

Abd Alsattar Among the Arabic Wikipedia Community by Ahmad Ali Karim CC0

Final Thoughts

As we wrapped up the session and explored the lively streets of Katowice, we couldn’t help but feel optimistic about the future. We’re excited to see how the conversations we sparked here will continue to evolve and lead to more inclusive and collaborative research across the globe.

Thank you to everyone who attended the session and helped contribute to a rich and engaging dialogue. We’re looking forward to many more collaborations and continuing our mission of amplifying marginalised voices in the open knowledge space!

Stay tuned for more updates on our upcoming initiatives! 😊


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