Wikiversity:Getting involved

Here is a list of things that you can do on Wikiversity..

First things first

You don't have to, but is really helpful if you create an account! This allows others to get in touch with you when they see you adding comments. For more on this, please see Wikiversity:Why create an account.

Introduce yourself

Please introduce yourself by placing background and contact information you feel is appropriate on your user page. This is accessible at the top of the screen as a tab labeled with your login handle if you are logged in. Keep in mind that if you select options properly email will be forwarded to you via features in the Wikimedia software so there is no need to publish your email address. There is also no need to reveal personal information that would identify you in the real world if you do not wish to. You can also post a message to the Colloquium, or join the Wikiversity-L mailing list, and send a note introducing yourself.

Start editing

You are invited to edit!

Do you see something confusing? Don't like the way something is explained? Edit it and try to improve it! Alternatively, you can leave comments, questions, and other feedback on the page's "talk page" (or "discussion page").

For a tutorial on how to get started, see Wikiversity:Introduction. You might also want to see more advanced editing guides at Help:Editing.

Add content

Wikiversity is developing a collection of learning resources - you can start creating your own from scratch, or adding resources you have already developed. You can also develop materials based on material found on another site - but remember: all content on Wikiversity must be free content, so please make sure you have the right to use the content, and that you are doing so appropriately. (This can include if you have already developed content with someone else - you need the permission of all authors to use it on Wikiversity.) See Wikiversity:Adding content for more details.

Enjoy yourself

Wikiversity is for learning, and a real way to make learning appropriate to yourself, is to learn something that you enjoy or are passionately interested in. We encourage you to participate in Wikiversity, and explore ways of making learning fun.

Join a learning project

If you are less interested in a disciplined assault upon a specific set of material than in playing around a bit while learning something .... then consider participating as you please at a learning project. Many of Wikiversity's learning projects and activities have non traditional approaches and scopes and provide many easy ways to participate rather than a firm commitment to an entire scheduled and scoped course. To participate in a learning project simply read about the specific learning project and edit as appropriate to add your thoughts, contributions, questions or comments. For a list of existing learning projects or to start a new learning project of your own please see learning projects.

Create course pages

Every course needs a curriculum. Curriculum will help a person know what to do as a student enrolled in that course. Try and find the Course you are interested in within the department it is part of. If it's not there, create a new "Topic:Your_subject". Each course page should outline the objectives of the course to new students, explain the prerequisite knowledge that is required to understand the course material, a list of the new material to be learned, the links to that material and the Learning Projects that will involve them and their classmates.

Contribute to research

Wikiversity is set up to develop research projects - both as a process, and as finished reports. You can set up a page on Wikiversity which details your research project or proposal (whether it is planning, or already in-progress). You can also draft research writings on Wikiversity and allow others to give feedback. (You can also request that people do not directly edit your page, but instead give feedback on the talk page.)

Write reviews and reflections

Reading a book? Watching a film? Attending a conference? You can write up and post some thoughts and/or reviews on your activities to Wikiversity, in order to provoke discussion. Describe as best you can what it was about, and what it meant to you - and invite others to comment. You can see an example of this type of work in our reading groups.

Join Wikiversity's BOINC distributed computing teams

Let your screensaver generate some publicity for www.wikiversity.org by doing some scientific computing when you are not using your computer. You can join millions of others tackling some very large tough computational challenges in pursuit of better knowledge of our environment, the universe, or cures for human frailties.

• Wikiversity's Distributed Virtual Supercomputer Project
• Wikiversity's Screensaver Project

Advertise and Extend Access to Wikiversity to new People

Please consider donating to Wikiversity through its non-profit organisation, the Wikimedia Foundation. The Wikimedia Foundation operates the servers that Wikiversity and its sister projects (including Wikipedia, Wikibooks, etc) run on. Wikiversity is entirely dependent on funding from personal donations and grants, so anything you can contribute in order to help us sustain our work is deeply appreciated.

See also

• Template:Opentask
• See the "To Do" lists at Wikiversity:Community Portal.