WIKIPEDIA IN MATERIALS EDUCATION

Wikipedia (1) has become a vast storehouse of human knowledge, and a first point of reference for millions of people from all walks of life, including many materials science and engineering (MSE) students. Its characteristics of open authorship and instant publication lead to both its main strength of broad, timely coverage and also its weakness of non-uniform quality. This talk will discuss the status and potential of this medium as a delivery mechanism for materials education content, some experiences with its use in the classroom, and its fit with other media from textbooks to digital libraries.