Open Knowledge Program

The ETCL’s Open Knowledge Program is a suite of initiatives that put open knowledge into action. We invite University of Victoria (UVic) faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of the Greater Victoria community, to pursue their own research projects with the support of the lab’s community and resources. As part of their projects, Open Knowledge Program participants contribute knowledge to open environments, such as by editing Wikipedia, submitting work to an open access journal, or creating an open access digital resource.

The lab supports Open Knowledge Program fellows by providing workspace, library resources and materials, and a community network of like-minded researchers across UVic and beyond. We also offer consultation and guidance related to project management, tools, and methodologies as needed.

Through its three branches—the Open Knowledge Practicum (OKP), OKP@DHSI, and Open Knowledge Residency (OKR)—the Open Knowledge Program supports publicly engaged knowledge creation by scholars, students, and community researchers. These initiatives are in turn supported by the Honorary Resident Wikipedian (HRW), co-sponsored by the ETCL, INKE, the University of Victoria Libraries, and the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Open Knowledge Practicum (OKP)

The Open Knowledge Practicum (OKP) is a 12-week, 3 hours/week practicum open to UVic faculty, staff, and students, as well as all community members from the Greater Victoria area on a term basis (September–December; January–April; May–July). OKP fellows propose their own research projects and develop them with the support of the lab’s community and resources. Fellows share their knowledge in an open, public venue by contributing to Wikipedia or a similar open, online resource. The OKP program is offered in partnership with the University of Victoria Libraries and the Faculty of Humanities.

Open Knowledge Residency (OKR)

The Open Knowledge Residency (OKR) is a week-long summer residency in the ETCL open to UVic graduate students (MA or PhD) in any discipline between May 1st and July 31st. OKR fellows develop an aspect of their thesis or dissertation with the support of the lab’s community and resources. Fellows also share their knowledge in an open environment by contributing to Wikipedia, submitting work to an open access journal or to UVicSpace, or creating an open access digital resource. The OKR program is co-sponsored by UVic’s Digital Scholarship Commons.

Open Knowledge Practicum at the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (OKP@DHSI)

The OKP@DHSI is a three-day practicum in June leading up to the annual Digital Humanities Summer Institute. This opportunity is open to DHSI attendees and instructors, as well as DHSI Conference and Colloquium presenters. Fellows develop a well-defined project related to their work at DHSI with an open knowledge component, such as contributions to Wikipedia or an open access resource. The OKP@DHSI program is held in partnership with the University of Victoria Libraries and the Faculty of Humanities.

Honorary Resident Wikipedian

The Honorary Resident Wikipedian supports the lab’s Open Knowledge Program by consulting about Wikipedia pages, giving talks, and leading Wikipedia edit-a-thons.

Learn More

The Team

Operations Group (current & previous)
  • Alyssa Arbuckle (Co-director, ETCL)
  • Randa El Khatib (Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto Scarborough; previous Assistant Director [Open Knowledge Initiatives], ETCL)
  • Matthew Huculak (Head, Advanced Research Services, Digital Scholarship Commons)
  • Ray Siemens (Director, ETCL; Distinguished Professor, English and the Humanities, with cross-appointment in Computer Science)
  • Caroline Winter (Assistant Director, MITACS/INKE Partnership Postdoctoral Fellow in Open Social Scholarship, ETCL)

Advisory Group
  • Shailoo Bedi (Director, Student Academic Success, Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation; Director of Academic Commons and Strategic Assessment, Library)
  • Hélène Cazes (Professor, French)
  • Alexandra D’Arcy (Professor, Linguistics; Associate Dean, Humanities)
  • Lisa Goddard (Associate University Librarian, Digital Scholarship Commons)
  • Sara Humphreys (Assistant Teaching Professor, English)
  • Valerie Irvine (Assistant Professor, Educational Technology)
  • David Leach (Professor, Writing)