GEN1000 for students admitted to Year 1 before AY2025/26, Year 2 before AY2026/27, or Year 3 before AY2027/28, except with the permission of the Module Coordinator
N/A
This engaging and largely hands-on module introduces students to Wikipedia, the world’s largest and most widely consulted encyclopedia, and explores how it has reshaped the way we share and access knowledge globally. Blending theory with practice, the module introduces key principles such as neutrality, collaboration and verifiability, and gives students the tools and confidence to contribute meaningfully to the platform. The module aims to cover topics such as what makes Wikipedia special and unique; how its articles are structured and maintained; how to edit effectively; related projects such as Wikimedia Commons; the reliability, limitations and potential bias of Wikipedia; how to utilise a Wikipedia article critically and constructively; the global and local perspectives and cultural diversity; and the nature of the global Wikipedia community and its governance. By the end of the module, students will have developed skills in critical thinking, digital literacy and collaborative writing, all while contributing to a global public good. Open to students from all disciplines, this module is ideal for anyone curious about how knowledge works in the digital age. The component of practical article creation and editing – in both English and other languages such as Chinese and Cantonese – allows students to focus on topics that genuinely interest them, either individually or as part of a team.
Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Introduction to Wikipedia and the open knowledge movement
1.1. History and ethos of Wikipedia
1.2. Wikipedia as an open knowledge platform
1.3. Wikipedia’s global impact and its role in the digital knowledge ecosystem
1.4. Introduction to Wikimedia Foundation and sister projects
1.5. The global Wikipedia community and digital citizenship
2. Wikipedia’s core content policies
2.1. Neutral point of view
2.2. Verifiability and reliable sources
2.3. No original research
3. Anatomy of a Wikipedia article
3.1. Article structure and formatting conventions
3.2. Use of citations and templates
3.3. Identifying common structural and stylistic issues
4. Practical editing I: Wikipedia editing tools and protocols
4.1. Creating an account, sandbox editing and using edit summaries
4.2. Talk pages and etiquette in community collaboration
4.3. Wikipedia’s Visual Editor vs. source editor
5. Practical editing II: Article improvement and drafting
5.1. Selecting articles to edit or improve
5.2. Adding citations, restructuring content and improving clarity
5.3. Addressing flags such as “citation needed” or “notability” concerns
6. Evaluating Wikipedia as a knowledge source
6.1. Comparing Wikipedia with traditional encyclopedias and academic sources
6.2. Assessing article quality, readability and bias
6.3. Exploring metrics and tools (e.g. page history and edit counts)
7. Wikipedia and cultural diversity
7.1. Wikipedia in different languages (e.g. English vs. Chinese Wikipedia)
7.2. Cultural perspectives and local knowledge representation
7.3. Systemic bias and gaps in coverage
8. Wikipedia as a site of glocal knowledge exchange
8.1. Glocalisation through Wikipedia: global guidelines, local content
8.2. Comparing Wikipedia across languages
8.3. Cultural and social values shaping content and participation
8.4. The effect of Wikipedia on the representation of cultural diversity
8.5. Responsible and ethical online knowledge creation on a global open platform
