<\/p>\n
Jaclyn Michael wanted her students to think about two things on one subject: the Qur\u2019an, the holy book of Islam.<\/p>\n
She wanted them to think about how the book is being interpreted in today\u2019s society versus its meaning when it emerged in the Seventh Century.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny tradition where you have a sacred text that is said to be revealed in a religious context, you have modern-day religious persons looking at that text and saying, \u2018Can I find myself in it as a 21st<\/sup> century Muslim?\u2019,\u201d says Michael, an assistant professor in philosophy and religion.<\/p>\n She also wanted her students to read entries about the Qur\u2019an on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia whose information is compiled and written by its users. When it comes to the Qur\u2019an on Wikipedia\u2014the first source for many students writing research papers\u2014the entries aren\u2019t considered very accurate due to bias and information taken from academically unreliable sources, Michael says.<\/p>\n The UTC students\u2019 task was to see if the entries were accurate and unbiased and, if they weren\u2019t, to edit them by adding corrected information, removing the bias or offering deeper interpretations of Qur\u2019an text.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of professors and educators today will complain: When a student has a research project, what is the first thing they do? They go to Wikipedia and they think that\u2019s it,\u201d Michael explains. \u201cIn the project, I had students write reflection papers and all of the students commented, \u2018I\u2019m going to think twice about using Wikipedia in the future.\u2019 I was like, \u2018Bingo! That\u2019s exactly what I wanted.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Students were divided into groups and given a specific theme: Prophets and Messengers in Islam, Eschatology\u2014”a fancy word that we use to describe the end of days, hell, all of that,\u201d Michael says\u2014and Hermeneutics, an interpretation of the Qur\u2019an\u2019s text.<\/p>\n Savannah Stout, a student in the class, says the fact that anyone can go on Wikipedia and write and edit its entries is \u201ca bit unsettling.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHumans, some who are far from scholars on certain topics, can edit, add, and publish anything they please to Wikipedia pages,\u201d she wrote in her reflection paper. \u201cThe readers have a right to be concerned.<\/p>\n \u201cThe majority are warned that Wikipedia is not a reliable source of information, although, even blessed with this knowledge, most take what they see at face value as fact,\u201d she continues. \u201cThis is why it is pivotal to make the Wikipedia articles factual as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n By diving deeply into the public editing process of Wikipedia, Michael says she wanted to give students the chance to participate in the \u201cpublic service\u201d element of the website.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted them to feel like they\u2019d done something that would benefit the public,\u201d she says. \u201cWikipedia is us. We create it; we edit it. In their reflection papers, the students noted that they felt good that they had contributed to something that benefits the public good.\u201d<\/p>\n Stout, whose group examined the topic of Prophets and Messengers, notes that there were about 20,000 page views after her group made edits to the Wikipedia entry on the subject. While the actual editing was daunting, she says, the work was \u201crewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is intimidating editing an article, especially knowing that many people will view the page and rely on the edits for information,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThis specific type of research feels rewarding in a different way than a typical final research paper would. It feels more impactful and effective, and I am glad I had a chance to do this project.\u201d<\/p>\n Casey Newell, who also enrolled in the class, echoed Stout\u2019s sentiments.<\/p>\n \u201cI am glad that you had us do the project. I was able to learn things that I would likely have never learned without participating in this,\u201d Newell wrote in her written reflections at the end of the course. \u201cIt was definitely more challenging than a final paper, but now I know how to do something that I never knew before. It was humbling, educational, and very much worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jaclyn Michael wanted her students to think about two things on one subject: the Qur\u2019an, the holy book of Islam.<\/p>\n