22 May 2026
The May 2026 EduWiki Knowledge Showcase convened educators, Wikimedians, and community organizers for discussions exploring how Wikimedia communities continue responding to emerging developments in education, technology, participation, and community building.
Held on 22 May 2026, the 90-minute session created space for 66 participants from Central & Eastern Europe & Central Asia (CEECA), East, Southeast Asia, & Pacific (ESEAP), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), South Asia (SA), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and North America (NA), and Northern & Western Europe (NWE), to exchange experiences and reflect on evolving approaches to Wikimedia education work, with presentations spanning university teaching practices, youth engagement, communication in collaborative spaces, and the growing role of artificial intelligence within educational contexts. Live interpretation support was available in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, and Bahasa Indonesia, helping expand multilingual participation during the event.
The session opened with a project spotlight from Florencia Claes, Professor at Rey Juan Carlos University and Principal Investigator of InnovaWiki, who introduced Teaching Innovation with Wikimedia: Shared Experiences in Spanish Universities. The book documents twenty-five case studies showcasing how Wikimedia projects are being integrated into university classrooms across Spain. The presentation highlighted examples involving Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and OpenStreetMap while demonstrating how educators are using open knowledge projects to strengthen collaboration, media literacy, critical thinking, and student participation within higher education settings.
The showcase then moved into a presentation by Dr. Ziko van Dijk titled Humour in education – a good idea?
The session examined humour as both a teaching approach and a collaborative dynamic within educational and wiki communities. Drawing on the Benign Violation Theory, which suggests humour often emerges when something challenges expectations while remaining harmless or psychologically distant, Ziko explored how humour can support engagement and memorability while also creating unintended challenges. He reflected on examples from both education and Wikimedia spaces, including how humour used to defuse tension on Wikipedia may sometimes make contributors feel dismissed rather than supported, and how jokes in educational settings may strengthen learning in some contexts while discouraging participation in others. Participants were encouraged to think critically about audience, context, and intention when using humour in collaborative and learning environments.
The conversation continued with a second project spotlight featuring Justine Msechu, Country Coordinator of Wiki Digi-Youth Club Project Tanzania and Co-Founder of Wikimedia Community Kilimanjaro.
His presentation explored the Tanzania implementation of the Wiki Digi-Youth Clubs project, highlighting efforts to engage young people through Wikimedia clubs, mentorship structures, leadership development opportunities, and digital literacy activities. Participants also learned about approaches being piloted to strengthen youth participation pathways and support long-term contributor growth within Wikimedia communities.
The final presentation featured Hector Gabriel, who presented Beyond the Surface: How Large Language Models Mask Student Wikipedia Contributions.
Drawing from research examining student interactions with Large Language Models during Wikipedia assignments, the presentation explored implications for critical engagement, participation patterns, and educational design. The session encouraged participants to reflect on how Wikimedia-based educational activities continue evolving alongside changing technological realities.
Following the presentations, participants engaged in discussion around participation, communication, youth engagement, educational innovation, and the opportunities and challenges emerging technologies present for Wikimedia education initiatives.
The session concluded with an EduWiki Hub update which was a reminder about submissions for the May 2026 EduWiki Newsletter. The deadline has been extended to 30th of May and stories can be submitted to the Education Newsroom here.
The May edition reinforced the EduWiki Knowledge Showcase’s role as a platform for knowledge exchange, shared learning, and strengthening connections across educators, organizers, and Wikimedians working to expand the role of Wikimedia within education.
The recording and additional resources are available on the Showcase’s Resources page on Meta-Wiki.
Get involved!
The EduWiki Hub invites you to be part of its initiatives:
Watch the recordings of the showcase here: Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Spanish and English.
For collaboration or questions, contact [email protected]
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