On 28 August 2026, I had the opportunity to introduce the Wikimedia Movement and the diverse projects of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) to the students of the Department of Computer Science and Information Technology at Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS).
The session, held under the WikiClub Tech SHUATS – Road to Wiki Program, brought together over 100 enthusiastic students eager to learn about open knowledge, collaboration, and contributing to free and open-source software.
Understanding the Wikimedia Movement
I began the session by exploring what the Wikimedia Movement truly represents. It is not just about websites—it is a global community united by shared values:
- Freedom of speech and open participation,
- Knowledge for everyone, and
- Community-driven collaboration.
The Wikimedia Movement encompasses a network of projects, people, and organizations—from the Wikimedia Foundation and its affiliates to countless volunteers and developers around the world who keep the ecosystem alive.
Introducing the Wikimedia Projects
To make the idea of “free knowledge” tangible, we explored different Wikimedia projects and their unique purposes:
- Wikipedia – by sharing knowledge with the world through collaboratively written articles.
- Wikimedia Commons – by contributing freely licensed images and media.
- Wikisource – by preserving and providing access to digitized texts in the public domain.
- Wikidata – by providing structured data that supports all Wikimedia projects.
- Wiktionary – by documenting the world’s languages collaboratively.
and more such projects…
Until now, students had only used Wikipedia as a source for reading, but they were especially inspired to discover that they can also contribute to it—realizing how every addition, whether a photo, citation, translation, or dataset, enriches the collective sum of human knowledge.
Open Source and MediaWiki
A key focus of the session was MediaWiki, the open-source software that powers all Wikimedia projects. Students discovered that they too could become part of this global technical ecosystem by contributing code, improving features, or fixing bugs.
We introduced essential tools used by Wikimedia developers:
- Phabricator – for tracking tasks and managing projects (similar to GitHub Issues).
- Gerrit – for submitting and reviewing code patches (similar to Pull/Merge Requests).
- GitLab – for hosting and managing collaborative development efforts.
To help newcomers begin their journey, we presented the “Wiki Developer Playbook” — a community-created step-by-step guide that walks aspiring contributors through:
- Creating developer accounts (MediaWiki, Phabricator, Gerrit, LDAP, etc.),
- Setting up SSH keys, and
- Making their first contribution to Wikimedia’s open-source projects.
Engaging Through a Wikimedia Quiz
To break the monotony of a speaker-led session and re-energize the audience, we conducted a Wikimedia and Open Source quiz. The quiz featured engaging questions about Wikimedia projects, their history, and the principles of open knowledge.
Students were quick to respond — showcasing their curiosity and newly learned insights. The top winners were awarded Wikimedia-themed swags, which brought an added spark of excitement to the room. The activity not only created a lively atmosphere but also reinforced the session’s core learning outcomes in a fun and interactive way.
A Step Toward Open Knowledge
This session marked a meaningful step in connecting our university’s student community to the global Wikimedia ecosystem. Many participants expressed interest in continuing their learning journey—exploring areas like technical documentation, translation, and software development within Wikimedia.
For me personally, it was fulfilling to see how the idea of “knowledge as a service” resonated with students who had never before contributed to open-source. Through initiatives like WikiClub Tech SHUATS, we aim to keep this momentum going—building a bridge between education, collaboration, and the free knowledge movement.
About WikiClub Tech SHUATS
WikiClub Tech SHUATS is a community initiative at SHUATS dedicated to promoting Wikimedia projects, open knowledge, and open-source development among students and young technologists. The “Road to Wiki” Program is one of its flagship outreach activities to build awareness and participation in the Wikimedia ecosystem.
A Note of Thanks
Special thanks to the Department of Computer Science & Information Technology, SHUATS, for their constant support and encouragement in organizing this initiative.
My heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Ankit Kumar Verma, Project Coordinator, IIITH and Organizer, WikiClub Tech India, for his continuous guidance, mentorship, and help in making the Road to Wiki session a success.
Their support was instrumental in connecting students to the broader Wikimedia and open-source ecosystem.
Can you help us translate this article?
In order for this article to reach as many people as possible we would like your help. Can you translate this article to get the message out?
Start translation