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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Howard University, Washington, DC, USA/Engineering Economy (Spring 2018)

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Course name
Engineering Economy
Institution
Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
Instructor
Michael OConnor
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Civil Engineering
Course dates
2018-01-17 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-05-16 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
35


Every entity, public or private, is confronted with the fundamental problem of economics, it wishes to accomplish more than its resources will permit. The problem consists of two fundamental questions that must be answered, namely what objectives should be investigated or explored and how should these be achieved? Economics as a social science answers those questions and is defined as the knowledge used for selecting among “…technically feasible alternatives for the purpose of a rational allocation of scarce resources.” As a subdiscipline, engineering economics narrows the definition of the problem and related questions to that of problems related to the investment of capital, public or private in a broad array of projects, products, processes, and services. Engineers confront more specialized forms of the fundamental problem in the form of inadequate economic evaluation of engineering projects. Civil engineers under constant pressure to deliver infrastructure effectively and efficiently confront complex problems associated with allocating scarce resources for ensuring quality, mitigating risk and controlling project delivery. Engineers must be educated to recognize the role played by engineering economics as part of the evaluations occurring at each phase in the project lifecycle.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Bthapacr7 Henry Roe Campbell Henry Roe Campbell
Ajflyboy914
Dem730
Lex Jordan
Foviawe18
GeorgeAlbert02833350
4EngineeringRM
Mr.Brannon
Emmy0286
Beski001
AlexanderMatthew Arthur M. Wellington Arthur M. Wellington
Michael Luther
Brainyon3
Heezuz
Camie22
Cdebourgh
19CT87
MarquisJohnHall

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Wednesday, 17 January 2018
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 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 - Get started on Wikipedia
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, this is best done outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.)
  • 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.
Assignment - Course Concept and Resume builder ...

Course Concept ... Read thru and come up with a list of resume topics from the various tiers that apply to you at this point in your "career" ... Create a mock resume ... Have fun ... be creative ... 

Assignment - All students in the Class must have a Wikipedia account

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account. 

The Instructor recommends that the student does not use their real name, nor include a picture of themselves on their user page ... watch clip ... No shared names or account use ... 

Personal and privacy-breaching material on social platforms such as Facebook, Linkedin, and Wikipedia.

Some students add personal information such as contact details (email, instant messaging, etc.), a photograph, their real name, their location, information about their areas of expertise and interest, likes and dislikes, etc. Once added this information is unlikely to ever become private again. It could be copied elsewhere or even used to harass you in the future. The student is cautioned to think carefully before adding non-public information to their user page because they are unlikely to be able to retract it later, even if they change your mind.

  • Privacy-breaching non-public material, whether added by the student or others, may be removed from any page upon request, either by administrators or (unless impractical) by purging from the page history and any logs by oversighters (see requests for oversight). 
  • As a part of this course, no student should edit another user page, but the student may comment on the username talk page.  

Setup a user page under your new account ... See these links

Week 2

Course meetings
Monday, 22 January 2018   |   Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles, especially civil engineering articles such as biographies, as well as articles on specialized topics such as "engineering economics". You'll evaluate identified Wikipedia articles related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page. 


Assignment - Discussion
What's a content gap?

 Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia civil engineering 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?
    • Look at thislink. Look at the entry for The Engineering Economist.  Does this meet the criteria for a "content gap"... is the material relevant?.. how many articles refer to this page?.  
  • What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
  • Does it matter who writes Wikipedia? Should only Civil engineers write Wiki articles?... What does our specialized training offer the reading public that uses Wikipedia?... 
  • What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?
  • Assignment: Write a paragraph on your user page, outlining your recommendations for creating an article in Wiki on this journal.  

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 29 January 2018   |   Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Assignment - Add to an article
  • Consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these): 
    • 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?
    • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
    • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
    •  Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted? 
    • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
    •  Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic? 
    • How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
    • How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
  • Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to either the Smith or Roberts articles. There are two ways the student may choose to do this and the student must choose one method: 
    • Choose at least citation relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your recommended citation and edit material on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — AlexanderMatthew (talk) 00:52, 2 April 2018 (UTC).  [reply]
    • Add 1-2 sentences to the same article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training and documented on the talk page. Document the edit with a reference to the talk page. 
Assignment - Copyedit an article

Choose a civil engineering article from the list above. 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.

Develop a new section on your user page under 

  • Notes related to Wikipedia work and activities.
  • Identify the article, outline your analysis 
  • Give a short proposal of the draft language ...show changes ...  

Enjoy! .. 


Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 5 February 2018   |   Wednesday, 7 February 2018
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? 
  • Copying text from other sources?
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Biographies

Books

Environmental Sciences

History

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 12 February 2018   |   Wednesday, 14 February 2018
Assignment - First draft on improving a civil engineering article

You've picked a topic from the list above and found your sources. Now it's time to start developing your article as a concept and from there into a finished product... much like the process of developing an engineering design ... 


Creating a new section of an article?


  •  Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox. 
    •  A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. 
    • Read these two articles ... first, Henry Roe Campbell and then, Arthur Mellen Wellington ... 
  • See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more information on wiki-style editing dos and don'ts. 

Improving an existing article?

  • Identify what's missing from the current form of the Wellington article. 
  • Given the class discussion about Wellington's role in developing the concept of engineering economy, does this article reflect Wellington's importance?... does it meet the standard for a lead article?... 
  • Read the topic materials in Wikipedia listed above from Week 2. Pick a relevant article on EngEcon that in your opinion should reflect Wellington's contributions. Does it?... What would you recommend changing?... 
  • Make notes for improvement on your user page ...  Separately analyze and discuss Wellington and your subject article from Week 2. What would you improve? .. any concepts or draft material? 

Teamwork exercise: 

  • Develop an informal team project. 
  • The scope of the assignment is as follows:
    • Setup a new section (one and only one) on the Wellington Talk page. 
    • Each class member will add a paragraph using the ":" to start and sign with "AlexanderMatthew (talk) 00:52, 2 April 2018 (UTC)" addressing the question. Build on other comments or offer new lines of thought ... be creative but must have the engineering focus. [reply]

Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of a civil engineering article.



Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9


Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6

Course meetings
Wednesday, 21 February 2018
Assignment - Discussion
Thinking about Wikipedia

What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"? NPV or "No original research" NOR

  • What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information? Particularly for civil engineering data, information or knowledge given NPV or NOR.
  • 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?
  • For this question, assume we are not engineers, 
    • If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?
  • Now we are answering this as aspiring Civil Engineers. We must also face the question of technology and the role it played in the development of civil infrastructure. 
    • If Wikipedia and civil engineering topics were being written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? How would Wellington have written about railroad economy? How would Campbell? John Haydon? Milnor Roberts? What about 100 years from now? What would CE knowledge look like 100 years from now?  Would a wiki platform remain relevant? 

Make a new section on your user page 

  • One subheading to answer the first question ... 
  • Second subheading to answer the second question ... 
  • Organize the response in each section any way you wish ...
  • The audience for the first question is a general reader with some exposure to technology while the audience for the second question is practicing civil engineers with fifteen years of experience.  
Peer review and copy edit
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review. Then in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign them to yourself to review.
  • Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! 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?
Milestones

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 26 February 2018   |   Wednesday, 28 February 2018
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 Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 5 March 2018   |   Wednesday, 7 March 2018
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."

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!
  • Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.

Creating a new article?

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 19 March 2018   |   Wednesday, 21 March 2018
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.
  • Consider adding an image to your article. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take Contributing Images and Media Files training before you upload an image.

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 26 March 2018   |   Wednesday, 28 March 2018
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!

Prepare for in-class presentation
  • Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 11

Course meetings
Monday, 2 April 2018   |   Wednesday, 4 April 2018
Assignment - EngEcon project assignment 4

Present about your Wikipedia editing experience on your user page as noted below. Create new sections on your user page as outlined below; each bullet is a section. Answer all questions ... 


Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment: Each bullet point is a new section, answer all of the questions ... 


  • Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article? 
  • Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions? 
  • Peer Review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article? 
  • Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback? 
  • Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important? 
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 Wikipedia Expert at any time!

Week 12

Course meetings
Monday, 9 April 2018   |   Wednesday, 11 April 2018
Milestones

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.

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