User:Kkmurray/CHEM 4558/Timeline

Timeline

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Class is Tuesday/Thursday 1:30-2:50 starting January 15. February 17 is Mardi Gras break and April 7 and 9 is Spring Break. The last class is April 30.

Wikipedia essentials

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In class January 20
  • 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)

Editing basics

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In class January 27
  • 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 February 3)
  • 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.

Exploring the topic area

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In class February 3
Assignments (due February 10)
  • 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.

Using sources

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In class February 10
Assignment (due February 24)
  • 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 February 24.

Choosing articles

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In class February 24
  • Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.
Assignments (due March 5)
  • Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your article to the class’s course page.
  • Compile a bibliography of relevant research and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources.

Drafting starter articles

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In class March 5
  • Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
  • Q&A session with instructor and/or Wikipedia Ambassadors about

interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.

Assignments (due March 12)
  • If you are starting a new article, write a 3–4 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.
Milestone
  • All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Moving articles to the main space

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In class March 12
Assignments (due March 19)
  • 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.


Building articles

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In class March 19
Assignments (due March 26)
  • Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
  • Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copy-edit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

Getting and giving feedback

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In class April 2
  • 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 April 14)
  • Peer review two of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
  • Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
Milestone
  • All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.

Class presentations

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In class April 12, 14, 19, 21
  • Students give in-class presentations about their mass spectrometry topic.
  • Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy,

and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.

  • Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
  • Write a reflective essay (2-5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.


(Click to return to your main course page and continue.)