Wikipedia

User:Nlilleberg/TEST Comm 261

Course name
TEST Comm 261
Institution
North Dakota State University
Instructor
Nancy Lilleberg
Subject
Web Design and Development
Course dates
2015-10-06 – 2015-12-31
Approximate number of student editors
24


As the research and writing component of this class, students will become familiar with editing and authoring in Wikipedia, and will expand a current Wikipedia article or create a new article.


Timeline

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Week 1 (2015-10-05): Wikipedia essentials

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Course meetings
Monday, 5 October 2015   |   Wednesday, 7 October 2015
In class
  • Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
  • Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette
  • Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)

Week 2 (2015-10-12): Editing basics

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Course meetings
Monday, 12 October 2015   |   Wednesday, 14 October 2015
In class
  • Basics of editing
  • Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
  • Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
  • Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure
  • Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
  • Create a User page, and then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
  • To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
Milestones
  • All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 3 (2015-10-19): Using sources and starting article

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Course meetings
Monday, 26 October 2015   |   Wednesday, 28 October 2015
In class


Assignment (due Week 4)
  • Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.
  • Your instructor has created a list of potential topics for your main project. Choose the one you will work on.
For next week
  • Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by next week.

Week 4 (2015-10-26): Finalizing topics and starting research

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Course meetings
Monday, 2 November 2015   |   Wednesday, 4 November 2015
In class
  • Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.


Assignment (due Week 5)
  • By the start of our next class, start your article and mark the article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. To add the banner, add this code in the top section of the talk page:
{{course assignment | course = User:Nlilleberg/TEST Comm 261 | term = Fall 2015 }}
  • Add a link to your selected article to the table at the bottom of this course page.
  • Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.

Week 5 (2015-11-02): Drafting starter articles

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Course meetings
Monday, 2 November 2015   |   Wednesday, 4 November 2015
In class
  • Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
  • Q&A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.


Assignment (due Week 6)
  • Write a 3–4 paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, create a detailed outline reflecting your proposed changes, and post this for community feedback, along with a brief description of your plans, on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check back on the talk page often and engage with any responses.
  • Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your short starter article and fix any major issues.
  • Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.
Milestones
  • All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 7 (2015-11-16): Moving articles to the main space

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Course meetings
Monday, 16 November 2015   |   Wednesday, 18 November 2015
In class
  • We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
  • Handout: Moving out of your sandbox
  • A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
    • Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
    • Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.


Assignment (due Week 8)
  • Move your sandbox articles into main space.
    • If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
    • If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow these instructions on how to move your work.


  • Optional: For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence “hook,” nominate it for “Did you know,” (see detailed instructions) and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors. Wiki Education Foundation staff can provide support for this process.
  • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 8 (2015-11-23): Building articles, Creating first draft

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Course meetings
Monday, 23 November 2015   |   Wednesday, 25 November 2015
In class


Assignment (due Week 9)
  • Select a classmate's article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, write your username next to the article you plan to review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)
  • Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 9 (2015-11-30): Getting and giving feedback

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Course meetings
Monday, 30 November 2015   |   Wednesday, 2 December 2015
In class
  • As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.


Assignment (due Week 10)
  • Peer review your classmate's article. Leave suggestions on the article talk page.
  • Copy-edit the reviewed article.
Milestones
  • Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 10 (2015-12-07): Responding to feedback

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Course meetings
Monday, 7 December 2015   |   Wednesday, 9 December 2015
In class
  • Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.


Assignment (due Week 11)
  • Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit.
Milestones
  • Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 11 (2015-12-14): Continuing to improve articles

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Course meetings
Monday, 14 December 2015   |   Wednesday, 16 December 2015
In class
  • Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.


Assignment (due Week 12)
  • Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
  • Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.
  • Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 12 (2015-12-21): Finishing touches

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Course meetings
Monday, 21 December 2015   |   Wednesday, 23 December 2015
In class
  • Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.


Assignment (due Week 13)
  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. You can find a handy reference guide here.
Milestones
  • Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 13 (2015-12-28): Due date

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Course meetings
Monday, 28 December 2015   |   Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Milestones
  • Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

Grading

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  5%  
   Completion of Wikipedia training
  10%  
   Early Wikipedia exercises
  10%  
   Quality of bibliography and outline
  5%  
   Peer reviews and collaboration with classmates
  60%  
   Quality of your main Wikipedia contributions
  10%  
   Supplementary assignments
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