Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Wake Tech Community College/HUM 115 Critical Thinking (Fall 2017)

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Course name
HUM 115 Critical Thinking
Institution
Wake Tech Community College
Instructor
Joe Haigler
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Critical Thinking
Course dates
2017-08-16 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-18 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
30


This course introduces the use of critical thinking skills in the context of human conflict. Emphasis is placed on evaluating information, problem solving, approaching cross-cultural perspectives, and resolving controversies and dilemmas. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate orally and in writing the use of critical thinking skills in the analysis of appropriate texts. Students will also explore the parameters of selected ethical issues.

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Monday, 2 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 4 October 2017
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.

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:


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.

Week 2

Course meetings
Monday, 9 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 11 October 2017   |   Friday, 13 October 2017
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, 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 — ~~~~.

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 16 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 18 October 2017   |   Friday, 20 October 2017
Assignment - Add to an article

Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. 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
Monday, 23 October 2017   |   Wednesday, 25 October 2017   |   Friday, 27 October 2017
Assignment - Copyedit an article

Choose an article. Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article.