Wikipedia:WikiProject United States Public Policy/Update/7 December 2010

Wikipedia Teaching Fellowship to debut in spring

One of the main learning points from the Public Policy Initiative from the fall was that a one-size-fits-all approach to working with professors didn't work: Some professors were eager to incorporate Wikipedia throughout the semester, as we'd envisioned, while others wanted to do a lighter assignment lasting only a few weeks. As we prepared for the spring semester, we wanted to find a way to work with both groups. For professors who are eager to devote a large part of their classroom assignments to Wikipedia, we've created the Wikipedia Teaching Fellows program, a designation that honors the commitment of those professors who want to do a full semester of Wikipedia assignments. For more information on how best to incorporate Wikipedia into a semester-long course, check out the Teaching Fellowship Requirements for Course Design document.

Screenshot of new What's Hot section

New graphic shows which articles are hot right now

The Leaderboard page (an area that ranks courses and students participating in the Public Policy Initiative based on how much they're contributing to the article namespace) has a new feature: the "What's Hot" section. This graphic highlights the five articles that have had the most edits over the past three days. Updated daily, it gives you the opportunity to see what articles students are working on that week. Check out today's top articles on the Leaderboard page.

Online Ambassador selection guidelines approved

As part of our effort to build a sustainable Wikipedia Ambassador Program that will continue at the end of the Public Policy Initiative, we're in the process of developing a set of policies to be used in the future. Spearheaded by the Ambassador Steering Committee, these policies are approved or revised based on feedback from the whole ambassador program. The first policy, on the Online Ambassador selection process, has been formally adopted by the ambassadors after being recommended by the steering committee. See the new policy here.

Newsletter archives now online

This weekly Public Policy Initiative Update newsletter began in September, and the distribution list has nearly quadrupled since the first issue. If you're one of the new subscribers or if you've missed a few issues, there's now an on-wiki archive. Wikipedians are welcome to add the page to their Watchlist to get notified when they page is updated. See the full archives.