“As educators, we are in the business of reducing the dissemination of misinformation,” said Don Wyatt, chair of the [Middlebury College history] department. “Even though Wikipedia may have some value, particularly from the value of leading students to citable sources, it is not itself an appropriate source for citation,” he said.

–Quoted in “A Stand Against Wikipedia”

 

When I first heard that the history department at Middlebury College had banned Wikipedia as a source for research papers, my initial reaction was, “That’s appropriate. Wikipedia should not be used as a source.” The problem, however, is not a result of how Wikipedia entries are constructed. No encyclopedia should be used as a source in a academic research paper.

Like many of the professors who replied to “A Stand Against Wikipedia,” I tell my students why Wikipedia is not appropriate. However, taking a stand against Wikipedia is not sufficient. I also need to discuss with students how and why I use Wikipedia in my own research.

When I need a quick reminder about a concept about which I already have background knowledge, I will sometimes go to Wikipedia; a process that is far quicker—and no less unreliable—than checking random entries obtained from a Google search. I will also turn to Wikipedia when I confront a concept or term about which I am unfamiliar. Reading a Wikipedia entry helps me get an overview of the issues.

When Professor T. Mills Kelly took a stand for Wikipedia by writing, “Call me crazy, but I’m assigning Wikipedia as my textbook in Western Civ this semester,” he gave me an idea about how I could use Wikipedia as a teaching tool in my own history classes. I have already began to develop a Wikipedia based assignment in the nineteenth-century American history course I am teaching this spring.

Last week, I used Wikipedia as a pedagogical tool to help students come up with ideas for research papers. After discussing Wikipedia with them, I assigned “A Stand Against Wikipedia” and Dr. Kelly’s “Why I Won’t Get Hired at Middlebury.” Then, I asked them to look up a Wikipedia article that interests them. We will discuss their findings next week.

Today, I read Professor Dave Allen’s response to “A Stand Against Wikipedia,” in which he offered an excellent suggestion on how Wikipedia could be incorporated into a film course. I have already mailed his idea to two colleagues who, like me, teach film.

By asking students to turn to Wikipedia as a learning tool, we do a far better job of teaching them critical thinking skills than we do by simply banning it as a reference.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD

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Related Blog Entry

• Engaging Students in a National Debate
  Posted: February 7, 2007

Responses
February 7, 2007

I really enjoyed what you had to say on your blog posting about Wikipedia. The Carleton College Library also has an interesting web page about using Wikipedia. They have a lot of good material on their page and they also do a nice job of presenting information about using Wikipedia both pro and con as a source.

–Professor Wayne Pricer

 

Schoolcraft College Reference Librarian