Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Minneapolis Community and Technical College/Ecology (Spring 2023)
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- Course name
- Ecology
- Institution
- Minneapolis Community and Technical College
- Instructor
- Nick Deacon
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Ecology
- Course dates
- 2023-01-12 00:00:00 UTC – 2023-05-11 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 12
This course is the final course in our biology and environmental science majors' transfer pathway sequence. The course examines the interactions between living organisms and their physical, chemical, and biological environment. We explore ecological concepts at the level of organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems across the Earth. Topics include population structure and growth, species interactions, energy flow, nutrient cycling, and succession. We also learn about contemporary environmental change, evolutionary ecology, and conservation science. We give hands-on experience in designing experiments, data analysis and interpretation, and communication of results. The course includes four hours of required lab per week with extensive outdoor components including required field trips.
I would like the Wikipedia assignment to be used as a way for students to synthesize knowledge about an aspect of Ecology that will help them develop their own independent research proposal in the second half of the course. In the past I've had students design experiments without having much knowledge about a question so the Wikipedia assignment will allow them to build their own knowledge base for follow-up writing.
Timeline
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 26 January 2023
- 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
-
- Thursday, 2 February 2023
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
- In class - Discussion
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 9 February 2023
- Assignment - Choose your article
- In class - Discussion
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 16 February 2023
- Assignment - Make a small edit
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 23 February 2023
- 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 7
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 2 March 2023
- Assignment - Peer review an article
- In class - Discussion
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 16 March 2023
- 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 9
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 23 March 2023
- 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
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 6 April 2023
- 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.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 13 April 2023
- 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!
Week 12
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 20 April 2023
- 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!
- Assignment - Original analytical paper
Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 27 April 2023
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.