Flanagan, Brian and McKenzie, Brian and Murphy, Maria and Richardson, Edana and Thompson, Neil (2023) Democratising Case Law while Teaching Students. European Journal of Legal Education, 4 (1). ISSN 1750-4686

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Abstract

This article draws on qualitative student feedback and lecturer experience to provide a guide for educators who are interested in creating Wikipedia article based assignments. Using legal cases as an example, this article details how these assignments can encourage students to deepen their understanding of a topic and consider how knowledge can be communicated effectively. In particular, this article focuses on how educators outside of the United States and Canada can navigate Wikipedia’s bureaucracy and how they and their students can contribute information of relevance to smaller jurisdictions on a publicly-accessible repository. This article begins by addressing concerns that educators may have with student use of Wikipedia, while highlighting pedagogical benefits for students who write Wikipedia articles. It goes on to provide a guide for educators who want to create a Wikipedia article writing assignment – in particular, the preparatory steps required to make the assignment effective, how to support students in their writing journey, and how to better ensure that student-authored articles remain available on Wikipedia once uploaded. This article concludes by encouraging educators to consider using Wikipedia as an educational tool, and to teach their students how they can use Wikipedia article writing to contribute to public knowledge.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Best practice guide; law school; public knowledge Wikipedia; student skills;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Law
Item ID:	18715
Depositing User:	Brian Flanagan
Date Deposited:	04 Jul 2024 15:00
Journal or Publication Title:	European Journal of Legal Education
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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