Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/Oberlin/Environment and Revolution in the Middle East (Spring 2015)/Timeline
Timeline
editWeek 1: Wikipedia essentials
edit- In class
- Overview of the course
- Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
- Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)
Week 5: Editing basics
edit- In class
- Basics of editing
- Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
- Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
- Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure
- Assignments (due Week 6)
- Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
- Create a User page, and and click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
- To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to any Wikipedians helping your class (such as a Wikipedia Ambassador), and leave a message for a classmate on their user talk page.
- Milestone
- All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
Week 6: Exploring the topic area
edit- In class
- Handouts: Choosing an article and How to get help and Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia
- In class exercises
- Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
- Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Ask your instructor for comment.
- Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.
- For next week
- Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by week 7.
Week 7: Choosing articles
edit- Before class
- Discuss the range of topics in country teams that individual students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.
- Assignments (due Week 7)
- Identify the article you wish to write or the stub(s) you wish to expand
- Prepare an individual PowerPoint presentation as part of your country team's presentation to the class
- In class
- Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
- Q&A session with instructor and media assistant about
interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.
Week 9: Identifying Sources
edit- In class
- Begin to compile a bibliography of relevant research and start reading the sources.
- Milestone
- All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.
Week 10: Drafting Paragraphs
edit- Assignments (due Week 10)
- If you are starting a new article, write a paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, write a summary version reflecting the content the article will have after it's been improved, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page.
- Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your short starter article and fix any major issues.
- Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.
Week 11: Moving articles to the main space
edit- In class
- Handout: Moving out of your sandbox
- In class
- Move sandbox articles into main space.
- Optional: For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence “hook,” nominate it for “Did you know,” and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors.
- Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
Week 12: Building articles
edit- Practice outside of class in teams
- Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
- Share experiences and discuss problems.
- Handouts: “Uploading images” and “Evaluating Wikipedia article quality” (handed out originally in week 2)
- Assignments (due Week 13)
- Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
Week 13: Getting and giving feedback
edit- In class
- As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving one or two of the students' articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.
- Assignments (due Week 14)
- Peer review one of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
- Copy-edit the reviewed articles.
- Milestone
- All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.
Week 14: Peer Review
edit- In class
- Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.
- Assignments (due May 16)
- Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
- Write a reflective essay (3 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
Week 15: Due date
editYou made it!
- Milestone
- Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading, and have submitted reflective essays.