Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/California State University Sacramento/ENVS 135 (Spring 2018)
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- Course name
- ENVS 135
- Institution
- California State University Sacramento
- Instructor
- Julian Fulton
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- California Water and Society
- Course dates
- 2018-01-23 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-05-18 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 30
This course provides the historical, scientific, legal, institutional, and economic background needed to understand the social and ecological challenges of providing water for California’s growing population, agricultural economy, and other uses - all of which are made more complex by climate change. We will look at past and current debates around cases ranging from local issues on the American River to statewide issues that converge in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Both physical and social science research skills will be developed.
In this Wikipedia assignment, you will contribute a new article or substantially to an existing article on a topic of your choice related to California water. Your topic could be a something physical, such as part of California's vast water infrastructure, or something societal, such as a policy topic related to California water governance. Your topic can be historical, contemporary, or something proposed.
Learning Objectives include: - gaining a deep understanding of a particular topic in California water, similar to a research paper assignment. - gaining media literacy and proficiency in an online platform that manages the world's largest public knowledge base. - gaining transferable research skills -- publication, peer review, citation, attribution, etc. -- in a unique website environment.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 23 January 2018 | Thursday, 25 January 2018
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 30 January 2018 | Thursday, 1 February 2018
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia project
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.
This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.
Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
Handout: Editing Wikipedia
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 6 February 2018 | Thursday, 8 February 2018
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
- Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
- It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade.
- Once you've completed the trainings, review the following handouts:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- Milestones
All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 13 February 2018 | Thursday, 15 February 2018
- Assignment - Evaluating Wikipedia
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings.
- Review the Wikipedia article about Water in California. As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
- 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?
- Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
- Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
- Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
- Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
- Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
- How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
- How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
- Choose a different article related to the class and respond to one or two of the above questions, leaving your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Ian (Wiki Ed) (talk) 14:22, 14 May 2018 (UTC).
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 20 February 2018 | Thursday, 22 February 2018
- Assignment - Add to an article
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article.
- Add 1-2 sentences to a course-related article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training. You can review the list of articles related to Water in California to get started.
- Assignment - Choosing your article
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook and the "Finding your article" training, linked below.
- Then, research 3–5 potential topics or articles that you can tackle, and post links to them on your Wikipedia user page. For articles that already exist, check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians might be doing. (Hint: The list of articles about Water in California might be a good place to start.)
- Finally, present your choices to your instructor for feedback.
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 27 February 2018 | Thursday, 1 March 2018
- In class - Discussion
- content gaps and article topics
What's a content gap?
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
- Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
- What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
- Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
- What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?
Article topics
- What knowledge content gap is your article topic helping fill?
- Discuss the topics you will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.
- Assignment - Finalize your topic / Find your sources
- On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself.
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
- Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too.
- Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 6 March 2018 | Thursday, 8 March 2018
- In class - Discussion
- Thinking about sources and plagiarism
- Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
- What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
- What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
- What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?
- Assignment - Draft your article
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
Creating a new article?
- Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox.
- A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.
Improving an existing article?
- Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox.
General tips
- Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
- Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 13 March 2018 | Thursday, 15 March 2018
- In class - Discussion
- Thinking about Wikipedia
- What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
- What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?
- On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?
- If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?
- In class - Expand your draft
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
- If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
Week 9
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 27 March 2018 | Thursday, 29 March 2018
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select a classmates’ article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the article that you want to review, and then assign it to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmate's draft. Leave suggestions on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
- As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?
Week 10
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 3 April 2018 | Thursday, 5 April 2018
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
- Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
- Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions.
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 11
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 10 April 2018 | Thursday, 12 April 2018
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace."
Editing an existing article?
- NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
- Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!
Creating a new article?
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the Sandboxes and Mainspace online training.
Week 12
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 17 April 2018 | Thursday, 19 April 2018
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles.
- Consider adding an image to your article. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take the 'Contributing Images and Media Files' training before you upload an image.
Week 13
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 24 April 2018 | Thursday, 26 April 2018
- In class - Discuss further article improvements
- Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.
- Assignment - Polish your work
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 14
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 1 May 2018 | Thursday, 3 May 2018
- Assignment - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Content Expert at any time!
- Assignment - Reflective essay
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment (500-700 words):
- Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article?
- Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions?
- Peer Review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article?
- Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback?
- Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?
- Turn in on SacCT by 5/14 11:59pm.
Week 15
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 8 May 2018 | Thursday, 10 May 2018
- Milestones
Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.