Preparing Biographies of STEM Women in the Wikipedia Format, a Teaching Experience

Abstract

The lack of female models in the scientifictechnological field is one of the causes of the gender gap in STEM disciplines. Therefore, in order to provide female references in science and technology, an activity was carried out in the subject of Physics of the degree in Chemical Engineering that consisted of the elaboration of biographies of scientists and engineers in Wikipedia format. The optional task has been carried out through the Moodle platform, using the Workshop tool, which allows peer evaluation, with the help of a rubric elaborated in such a way that it serves as a guide for carrying out the biography. In this way, the aim is to improve the digital skills of students, written expression, critical thinking and contribute to the training of possible Wikipedia publishers. The results of the satisfaction survey carried out among the students who elaborated the biographies, show us that this activity is well valued and adequate to reach the proposed objectives.

Revisiting Male Allies in Mathematics and Physics Throughout History: Role Models for Men in STEM Education

“…Regarding how to incorporate historical figures together with actual and close role models in mathematics and physics, different ways can be considered. For example, we can introduce the biography of the figure who is an expert in each field before working in that field, as proposed by Figueiras et al [58], or use Wikipedia tasks [131]. More proposals are explained by Epifanio et al [132], such as using quotes of the figures at the beginning of a unit to initiate a short discussion, to include them in problems, to investigate different figures as tasks or to use gamification, such as through digital escape rooms [133].…”

Científicas frente al coronavirus en Wikipedia

“…Y en esta tarea sería interesante implicar al profesorado universitario (Calvo, 2020) y de otras etapas educativas (Navarro, 2020), porque los proyectos libres Wikimedia pueden ser usados como una herramienta educativa para reducir la brecha de género en el ámbito CTIM.…”