Abstract:

Our aim is to present a comprehensive overview of a broader research endeavor focused on examining the conceptions and uses of both students and professors of the Librarianship and Documentation Program at the School of Journalism (Academic Delegation of Manica) concerning Wikipedia. The ongoing research, part of the master's degree program in information management and school libraries at Universidade Aberta, Open University Portugal, is conducted under the auspices of the WEIWER® International Network, associated with LE@D, the Laboratory of Distance Education and Elearning of the same university. Specifically, the case study seeks to address the following research questioning: What are the conceptions and uses of higher education students and teachers in Mozambique regarding Wikipedia as an instructional resource? Consequently, we focus on this current encyclopedia, initially placing it within the broader ecosystem of the Wikimedia Foundation. Subsequently, we scrutinize data from the Portuguese-language Wikipedia, emphasizing access statistics related to Mozambique. Furthermore, we explore the potential utility of this online encyclopedia, especially in terms of its integration into academic curricula. Additionally, we underscore the merits of Information Literacy and Digital Literacy, given their significance in the contemporary context. Our review of existing literature also enables us to recognize the feasibility of incorporating Wikipedia across various educational levels; within higher education, there exists an opportunity to delve into Wikipedia more extensively, including activities such as article creation and editing.

Keywords:

Wikipedia, Open Educational Resources, Higher Education, Information and Digital Literacies, Mozambique.