Wikipedia:Education program/Assignment Design Wizard/components

Course name: My course name

Institution: my college or university

Instructor: My real name, linked to my userpage

Subject: The subject of my course, chosen from a list

Course dates: The start date of my course – the end date

Approximate number of student editors: the number I put in

This is a general description of my course. In this course for advanced undergraduates studying Wikipediology, we will explore theoretical perspectives on Foo. Throughout the term, students will be improving foo-related Wikipedia articles.

Timeline

Week 1 : Wikipedia essentials

In class

Overview of the course
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 : Editing basics

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
Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure

Assignment (due Week 3)

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.
Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.

Milestones

All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 3 : Exploring the topic area

In class

Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.
Handouts: Choosing an article

Assignment (due Week 4)

Review pages 4-7 of the Evaluating Wikipedia brochure. This will give you a good, brief overview of what to look for in other articles, and what other people will look for in your own.

Evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
- A few questions to consider (don't feel limited to these):
  - Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
  - Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
  - Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
  - Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
  - Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
  - Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
  - Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?

Choose one article, identify ways in which you can improve and correct its language and grammar, and make the appropriate changes. (You do not need to alter the article's content.)

Week 4 : Using sources

In class

Handouts: Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia.
- Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.

Assignment (due Week 5)

Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.
Identify an article that would benefit from illustration, create or find an appropriate photo, illustration, or audio/video, and add it to the article.
- All media uploaded to Wikipedia must fall under a "free license," which means they can be used or shared by anyone. Examples of media you can use are photos that you take yourself, images and text in the public domain, and works created by someone else who has given permission for their work to be used by others. For more information about which types of media can be uploaded to Wikipedia, see Commons:Help desk.
- To add a media file to an article, you must first upload it to Wikimedia Commons. For instructions on how to upload files to Commons, refer to Illustrating Wikipedia. This brochure will also provide you with detailed information about which files are acceptable to upload to Wikipedia and the value of contributing media to Wikipedia articles.
Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. Describe your choices to your instructor for feedback.
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 Week 5.

Week 5 : Choosing articles

In class

Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.

Assignment (due Week 6)

Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your article to the class’s course page.
By the start of our next class, find an article you want to work on 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 = Wikipedia:Education program/Assignment Design Wizard/components }}

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 6 : Drafting starter articles

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 7)

If you are starting a new article, 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.
If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use "summary style", in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide.
Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.

Milestones

All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 7 : Moving articles to the main space

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 : Building articles

Workshop in class or outside of class

Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
Share experiences and discuss problems.
Handouts: "Illustrating Wikipedia" (pgs 4-7) and "Evaluating Wikipedia article quality" (handed out originally earlier in the course)

Assignment (due Week 9)

Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the articles you will peer review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)
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.)

Week 9 : Getting and giving feedback

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 two of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
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 : Responding to feedback

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.
Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 11 : Class presentations

In class

Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.

Assignment (due Week 12)

Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. You can find a handy reference guide here.
Write a reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
Put together a Wikipedia portfolio.
Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.

Week 12 : Due date

Milestones

Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

1 point

Completion of Wikipedia training

1 point

"Practice on-wiki communication" exercise

1 point

"Copyedit an article" exercise

1 point

"Evaluate an article" exercise"

1 point

"Add to an article" exercise

1 point

"Illustrate an article" exercise

2 points

Quality of bibliography and outline

2 points

Peer reviews and collaboration with classmates

2 points

Participation in class discussions

10 points

Quality of your main Wikipedia contributions

2 points

Reflective essay

10 points

Original argument paper

2 points

In-class presentation of contributions

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