OER creation

Before starting to create an open educational resource in Mediawiki software (OER MWS) or Wikipedia, it is helpful to define: 

• The target group that I want to create the OER for

• The purpose that the resource should serve

Once I’ve defined this, I can decide which resource will be more suitable to create.

I’ll choose to create a Wikipedia page if I don’t have a clearly defined target group. The purpose of Wikipedia is to be an “encyclopedia for all”.

Generally speaking, Wikipedia is suitable as a general introduction into a topic, i.e. as an encyclopedic summary for which it has been designed.

I create OER MWS when I’ve got a specialized topic, especially when this topic’s ambition is to cover a spectrum of knowledge that can be used, for example, during an examination; in this situation, they can be used to a certain degree in place of paper study materials (see the Czech WikiSkripta project by created by medical faculties).

If the designed OER MWS doesn’t have a distinctive purpose and specific group that it is been designed for, there is a danger that it will become a copy of Wikipedia in a degree of varying quality. Rather than creating an entry in your own OER MWS that is similar to Wikipedia, it is better to take part in its creation directly on Wikipedia, as it has a better-functioning community and it is therefore more probable that the article will be cared for and updated. This can be more beneficial especially if the long-term sustainability of the project is not ensured from a financial and personnel perspective.

Inspiration from Wikipedia:

When creating an OER MWS, it is good to take inspiration from Wikipedia. Wikipedia is used far more than OER MWS, and therefore it is useful to become acquainted with their function while creating alternative OER MWS. For example, its rules for dispute resolution and creating / changing content are some of the best ever created for these types of resources. For a basic understanding of this issue, interested parties can use the Five pillars on English-language Wikipedia.

Interconnections: 

Wikipedia (and other Wikimedia Commons projects) can also serve as a suitable complement to creating your own OER WMS and vice versa – see the image below. In creating your own resources, texts from Wikipedia and media from Wikimedia Commons can be used. And, if the OER WMS we are creating are under an open license, it is possible to copy parts from them and paste them into Wikipedia with a link to the original resource (thus also increasing visitor frequency of alternative OER WMS projects at the same time). In creating OER WMS, it is also possible to involve students – see e.g. the Wikipedia education program (Students write Wikipedia).

Diagram depicting possible relationships between OER WMS, Wikipedia and other sources