Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Montgomery College/Principles of Biology II (Fall 2016)
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- Course name
- Principles of Biology II
- Institution
- Montgomery College
- Instructor
- Robin Vaughn Hirshorn
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Biology
- Course dates
- 2016-08-29 00:00:00 UTC – 2016-12-16 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 20
BIOL 151, Principles of Biology II, is a four credit lecture / lab course that is the second course in a two-semester sequence intended for natural science majors. The course examines life at the level of the organism and covers evolution, systematics and taxonomy, biological diversity, ecology, and behavior. Laboratory classes will provide exercises and observational material to support concepts discussed in lecture.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 7 September 2016
- 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.
To get started, please review the following handouts:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- In class - Topic Assignment
During class, you will choose a taxon topic (e.g., ferns, insects, bacteria). A file that lists all of the taxa topics will be posted on our Blackboard course site, as well as links to sites that list which species from each taxon are found in Maryland.
For later Wikipedia assignments, you will choose Wikipedia pages that focus on species that belong to the taxon that you were assigned, that are also found in Maryland. For example, if you were assigned the topic "Insects," then you might choose to critique an article on the page "Zebra Swallowtail".
- Assignment - Practicing the basics
- 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.
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 14 September 2016
- Assignment - Critique an article
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Choose an article on a species found in Maryland from the taxon that you were assigned, and consider some questions (but 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 at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Rhirshorn (talk) 01:50, 30 November 2016 (UTC).
- In class - Discussion
- 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"?
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 21 September 2016
- Assignment - Add to an article
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to the article that you critiqued. There are two ways you can do this:
- Add 1-2 sentences to a course-related article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
- The Citation Hunt tool shows unreferenced statements from articles. First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement.
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 28 September 2016
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Choose 3–5 potential 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. Finally, present your choices to your instructor for feedback. Each article must be on a species found in Maryland, from the taxon that you were assigned.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 5 October 2016
- 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 - 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.
- Focus on adding natural history, ecology, and conservation biology information about your species to the article. For example, in what habitats is this species found? Which niches does it occupy? How does it interact with other species within this habitat? What role does it occupy within the broader ecosystem? Is there anything especially interesting or unique about its natural history or ecology that you discovered? What is the conservation status of this species? What human actions affect this species, and how do they affect it? Are there any particular conservation threats that it faces?
- 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 6
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 19 October 2016
- Assignment - Draft your article
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
You will be improving an existing article. Put your work in your Sandbox for now.
- Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article.
- Write a complete first draft. It should be 3 full paragraphs in length. How long is a full paragraph? If you copy and paste the material you plan to add to the Wikipedia article into a Word document, with 1 1/2 line spacing, 1-inch margins, and 11 point font, your writing should be at least 1 1/2 pages long.
- Be sure to describe where you plan to add your work into the Wikipedia article.
- Include at least 3 reliable references in your draft; at least one reference must be a journal article.
- Focus on adding natural history, ecology, and conservation biology information about your species to the article.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 26 October 2016
- 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?
- Assignment - Expand your draft
- Keep working on improving your article.
- 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.
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- In class, you selected two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find these articles, and then assign them to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions in the sandbox that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work as well, so look for their comments in your Sandbox! 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 9
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 2 November 2016
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles.
- 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.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 9 November 2016
- 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.
- Assignment - Prepare for in-class presentation
- Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience, and what you learned about Maryland species in your assigned taxon.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 16 November 2016
- In class - In-class presentation
- Present about your Wikipedia editing experience, and what you learned about Maryland species in your assigned taxon. Your powerpoint or Prezi presentation should be about 5 minutes long, and it may not include videos. Please upload your presentation to Blackboard ahead of time. You can find the assignment link in which to upload your presentation under "Course Content," "Wikipedia Assignment".
- 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 Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
- 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."
** Do not move your work to Wikipedia until your instructor has approved it.
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 [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 30 November 2016
- 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!
The total length of work that you add to a Wikipedia article should be about four well-developed and well-cited paragraphs. You need to cite a minimum of 3 sources; at least one source needs to be a published journal or magazine article that you find through a library database.
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.