Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/West Virginia University/Technical Writing (Spring 2021)
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- Course name
- Technical Writing
- Institution
- West Virginia University
- Instructor
- Krista Sarraf
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- English
- Course dates
- 2021-01-20 00:00:00 UTC – 2021-04-30 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 22
English 305, Technical Writing, is designed to introduce students to strategies for translating between discipline-specific knowledge and interested outsiders. While this may include topics traditionally understood as “technical,” such as those in engineering, architecture, and computer science, technical writing encompasses any topic which must be explained to an involved, but not expert, audience. Students will create instructional manuals, job materials, and edit a Wikipedia article.
Timeline
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 28 January 2021
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.
Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 2 February 2021 | Thursday, 4 February 2021
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 9 February 2021
- Assignment - Review the rules for health topics
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 16 February 2021 | Thursday, 18 February 2021
- Assignment - Add to an article
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 23 February 2021 | Thursday, 25 February 2021
- Assignment - Peer review an article
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 4 March 2021
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the "mainspace."
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.
- 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!