Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Chicago/Dinosaur Science (Spring 2016)
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- Course name
- Dinosaur Science
- Institution
- University of Chicago
- Instructor
- Stephanie Baumgart
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Paleontology
- Course dates
- 2016-03-28 – 2016-06-20
- Approximate number of student editors
- 15
This introductory-level (but intensive) class includes a ten-day expedition to South Dakota and Wyoming (departing just after graduation). We study basic geology (e.g., rocks and minerals, stratigraphy, Earth history, mapping skills) and basic evolutionary biology (e.g., vertebrate and especially skeletal anatomy, systematics and large-scale evolutionary patterns). This course provides the knowledge needed to discover and understand the meaning of fossils as they are preserved in the field, which is applied to actual paleontological sites.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 5 April 2016 | Thursday, 7 April 2016
- In class - Wikipedia essentials
- 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
- In class - Editing basics
- 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, Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Practicing the basics
- Create an account and join this course page.
- Complete the introductory training modules. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
- Create a User page.
- To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to another student on their user talk 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.
- Assignment - Exploring the topic area
- Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles in your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.
Handouts: Choosing an article
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 12 April 2016 | Thursday, 14 April 2016
- Using sources
- Understand close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.
Handouts: Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/sources|Sources and Citations
]]
- Assignment - Choosing your article
- 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 or TA for feedback.
- In class - Discuss the article topics
- Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.
Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace
]]
- Assignment - Finalize your topic and start researching
- Select an article to work on by the 16th, removing the rest from your user page. Add your topic on the course page.
- For the 23rd, begin compiling 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 3
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 19 April 2016 | Thursday, 21 April 2016
- Assignment - Compiled bibliography
- 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.
- Milestones
All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 26 April 2016 | Thursday, 28 April 2016
- Assignment - Drafting starter articles
- Write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs. 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. You can 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.
- You will receive feedback on these lead sections to help you polish your lead sections and fix any major issues.
- Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.
- Building articles
- Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
- Share experiences and discuss problems.
Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 3 May 2016 | Thursday, 5 May 2016
- Assignment - Complete first draft
- Expand your article into a complete first draft.
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 10 May 2016 | Thursday, 12 May 2016
- Assignment - Continue improving articles
- 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.
- Moving articles to mainspace
- Learn about moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
- 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.
Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 17 May 2016 | Thursday, 19 May 2016
- Assignment - Moving articles to mainspace
- 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 the instructions in the "Moving out of your sandbox" handout.
- Assignment - Final article
- Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
Handout: Polishing your article
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 24 May 2016 | Thursday, 26 May 2016
Week 9
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 31 May 2016
- Milestones
Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.