[Foundation-l] Fwd: [Wikimediaindia-l] Death and Post-mortem of Indian Education Program pilot

[Anivar Aravind]

An Important Perspective from Pune wikimedia Community .
Putting blame on students and educational system does not help us to study
from this experience . In addition , i was always wondering how we omitted
addressing copy-vios from the programme plan, since it is always expected
in "assignment" based IEP model .

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ashwin Baindur <ashwin.baindur at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 9:13 AM
Subject: Re: [Wikimediaindia-l] Death and Post-mortem of Indian Education
Program pilot
To: Wikimedia India Community list <wikimediaindia-l at lists.wikimedia.org>


*On Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 4:28 PM, Srikanth Lakshmanan <srik.lak at gmail.com>
 wrote:*
*I would also request people not to fork any more new threads on this with
same thoughts, *

CAMPUS AMBASSADOR SETBACK - The Local Community Viewpoint

The recent hiatus in the Campus Education program proved what the Pune
Community knew. That the statue had feet of clay. For a long time we have
kept quiet, not wanting to disturb the boat but the time has come to tell
the tale. So it helps all concerned to revisit the previous decisions,
actions  and provides for better opportunities for improvements in future.

Hisham first came to Pune in February to our meetup on his trip around the
country to meet communities. He is smart, very likeable, intelligent,
focussed and erudite. We were impressed and happy that a suitable person
would support communities through the India program.

In his subsequent visits over the next two months, whenever we met, there
was no mention of the campus ambassador scheme or of a pilot project. The
ambassador project was launched without any intimation and/or consultation
with the community. The launch of the pilot project in Pune came as a
complete surprise to the Community who read it from news reports.

Ignoring the slight, on the basis of an email received rather late in the
day, we looked forward to participating and hoped to make a meaningful
contribution. We felt that with our contacts, experience, knowledge of
local language, customs, etc. It would be a mutually beneficial partnership
with campus ambassadors, which would result in adding to the strength of
the very small community in Pune. We had no illusions that we could add
great editting power to the venture because of the size of our community.
Instead, we hoped to play the role of friend, philosopher and guide. We
hoped to bring the following to the venture:

* Wiki editting experience - we had a small handful of veteran editors
including an admin (Srikeit). Whereas Hisham had none and little knowledge
of the environment or knowledge of the way Wikipedians think.

* Huge experience in event management, FOSS, crisis-management in wide
fields of experience etc.

* Intimate life-long knowledge of the educational system in Pune. One of
our communities member Harshad is a notable cog in the academy machinery.
Sudhanwa has been instructor in half a dozen colleges and has a valuable
network of contacts in Pune as well as insight into attitudes, local
politics, expectations etc. The Community also has well-wishers such as Mr
Lalit Kathpalia, Director SICSR besides others.

* A permanent long-term continuing presence in Pune (which Hisham or his
staff do not have even today).

* Capacity to act as mentors to campus ambassadors and provide moral and
other kinds of support to CAs.

* Capacity to act as “train the trainers”.

* A limited capacity to edit the offerings of the students (which we
considered, the least of the value that we could bring to the table).

* Expertise for the Indic wikipedia aspects of the initiative, especially
Marathi Wikipedia.


Somehow, I do not know why, involvement of the community itself was
bypassed, not wanted or not required by the program team. We were always
asking for information, it was not directed purposefully towards us. The
time came for the first Campus Ambassador. When we suggested that it was
time to develop the syllabus, we were sent the American syllabus used to
train the CAs which had a different setting to ours. We were wondering how
such a thing was to be implemented. We prepared our draft points for how
the training should be organised and waited to discuss the issue but by the
time we could meet again, it was just a few days away from the training.

To our surprise, we came to know of an airlift of PPI bigwigs from America
- Frank Schulenberg, Annie Lin and PJ Tabit (an American CA on sabbatical
to Pune). When we met just two days before the training became, we were
told that Annie was driving the show. When Annie was asked what role she
expected us to play, she asked Ashwin to give an opening address and we
played some part in some discussions and case studies. Sudhanwa and Ashwin
were there on Day One and Madar Kulkarni on Day two. Srikeit was there on
both days (we came to know he is being co-opted into the CA program on a
fellowship).

Mr Lalit Kathpalia, a well-wisher of the Wikipedia Pune Community and
Director, Symbiosis Institue of Computer Science and Research and Mr
Harshad Gune, Deputy Director and member of Pune Wikipedian community
provided the facilities for conduct of the CA program.

During the training, the CAs were eager, excited and charged up. Frank,
Annie, PJ did a great job in the training, even though it was clear to us
that what was the need of the moment was not being taught. Without even the
know how of how to do a single meaningful edit, CAs were being motivated to
be effective campus ambassadors - the horse was put before the cart.

During the training, we felt there was a disjunct between what the Pune
community was propagating as the points for immediate action and the
message being given in the training. For example, the need for being a
competent editor was being glossed over, in fact we felt that the message
was that editting and Wiki experience is over-rated, that newcomers do a
better job than Wikipedians.

After the training, Ashwin wrote a note of dissent on the talk page of the
CAs at the time:

http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_-_India_Programs/India_Campus_Program_Reports

In the light of how the community perceived itself, we gave address on a
number of issues, which were voiced to Hisham over a period of time. At
that point of time, the involvement of the Pune community in the
WikiConference work had not yet started. A large number of issues were
raised. These included:

* Need for a project management approach, with deliverables, stages,
identification of scaling resources, check-backs, etc was emphasised.

* Attitudes of local college managements and how to function in Pune
academic environment were given.

* Intricacies of academic systems in the colleges, universities in Pune
were explained.

* Cultural differences between colleges, their goals and priorities, as
well as their mutual relations were told.

* It was indicated that this was the wrong timing to start the program from
point of view of forthcoming exams and vacations.

* We asked an important question - what is the take home for the stake
holders? There were adequate take-homes for the CA (a certificate, a T
shirt,  learning experiences. opportunities in Wikiworld, recognition and
some marks for the exam). The participating students were only getting
wiki-knowledge and assignment marks. Was that enough to motivate them?
 There was no formal training for the actual editors.

* Most important of all, what is there in return to the stake holders like
colleges? This question is still unanswered. There has to be something for
all the stakeholders (CAs, students, college teachers, college management,
community, IEP program team) in the program. Right now, only Wikipedia is
the ultimate beneficiary. and partly CAs and some students. For a win-win
situation, everybody must have something reasonable for take-home.

* We repeatedly emphasised the need for the staff person to be recruited
from Pune and function from Pune 24x7, who should preferably be
Maharashtrian, and having local contacts, rather than be from Delhi,
stationed there and fly in here for a few days a week (as we were told it
would be).

* The need for rigorous training of campus ambassadors and formal training
for student editors.

The community felt that it was not quite being listened to. Slowly contact
with Hisham dwindled. We never came to know except through grape-vine when
Hisham was in town. It appeared to us that the community mattered no more
and the IEP (India Education Project) was the whole-soul focus. Our contact
with local CAs was not encouraged. When a request was made for at least one
Pune community member to be on the CA mailing list so that we could be in
the loop and available for ready support and advice, it was not agreed.

This led to the community being effectively excluded from CA. Hisham had
never seriously advocated interaction of CAs with us and only a few
Wikipedian CAs and some other interested CAs interacted with us
sporadically. Some of CAs turned up at our last monthly meetup only after
they got a bashing about the copy-vios asking for some help. And then
vanished again when some suggestions and action plan was given.

There was one exception. One of the Pune community members, Prof Radha
Misra is running a quiet, efficient IEP in her department and college. The
community was invited by her to conduct two wiki-academies in different
workshops in her College which were successfully conducted. We thank her
for the support to the community.

Reluctantly we came to the conclusion that the local Pune community had no
role to play in IEP. We decided to support the initiative passively. Soon
the WikiConference planning started and our attention and energies were
drawn away.