Diversity, Identities, and Interests
All the peer coaches felt the edit-a-thons are important and the focus on underrepresented groups is particularly salient because of UNLV’s student population. Many students see themselves in the identities the edita-thons have explored. For example, “I am Latinx and I really enjoyed researching and studying about ‘my people’ .It made me proud to be a member of this community” (E. Rodriguez, personal communication, July 17, 2020). On the other hand, some peer coaches preferred to learn about important people who have different identities than their own. Although none of the peer coaches are Indigenous, two identified the Indigenous edit-a-thon as their favorite because they had an opportunity to learn more about American history. They also understood the importance of approaching the research critically and with care because they did not want to make or perpetuate assumptions. The peer coaches felt that “amplifying marginalized voices is rewarding work” (B. Lopez, personal communication, July 17, 2020) because “Wikipedia is such a widely used site and it’s important to make sure that the information on it is diversified” (R. D’Amato, personal communication, July 17, 2020). The peer coaches anticipate that even at predominantly white institutions, edit-a-thons focusing on underrepresented groups would likely help students with marginalized identities feel more welcome and create learning opportunities for others. A case study showing that students who participated in an Art + Feminism edit-a-thon had increased awareness of the gender disparities of Wikipedia supports the peer coaches’ beliefs (Vetter & Sarraf, 2019).
Strengths and Prior Knowledge
This project made space for peer coaches to both share their strengths and prior knowledge and improve upon their less practiced skills. For example, B. Lopez (personal communication, July 17, 2020) said, “Bringing all my identities and interests to the table has been a strength. I may not have always been aware that I was bringing them to the table, but adding my perspectives has helped contribute.” Three out of seven peer coaches cited their creativity
