Teaching with W ikipedia in a 21 st ‐century classroom: Perceptions of W ikipedia and its educational benefits

This article explores the current perception of W ikipedia in academia, focusing on both the reasons for its unpopularity among some and the reasons for its growing acceptance among others. First, the reasons that W ikipedia is still struggling to gain acceptance among many academics and higher education professionals are identified. These include common misconceptions about W ikipedia, doubts about its quality, uneasiness with the challenge that it poses to the traditional peer‐review system, and a lack of career‐enhancing motivations related to using W ikipedia. Second, the benefits of teaching with W ikipedia for educators, students, and the wider society, as discussed in the current teaching literature, are explored. Finally, the article presents an argument for using Wikipedia in a variety of ways to help students develop critical and academic writing skills.