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- Course name
- Mineralogy
- Institution
- North Dakota State University
- Instructor
- Bernhardt Saini-Eidukat
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Mineralogy
- Course dates
- 2017-08-22 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-15 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 22
This course provides an introduction to mineralogy. We will examine minerals from crystallographic, chemical, physical and thermodynamic points of view. We will learn how to identify and classify minerals, and how to measure their properties using a variety of methods including X-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. We will apply our knowledge by analyzing scientific literature on mineralogy. We will learn from a combination of lectures, in-class exercises and discussion, guest speakers, homework assignments, term papers and field experiences.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 10 October 2017 | Thursday, 12 October 2017
- In class - Wikipedia essentials
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 Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
Handout: Editing Wikipedia
- Assignment - Practicing the basics
- Create a Wikipedia account account using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
- Then complete the online trainings for students (linked below). During these trainings, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia. 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.
- Create a User page.
- Review the following handouts:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- When you finish, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- Milestones
All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 17 October 2017 | Thursday, 19 October 2017
- Assignment - Choosing your topic
Select your topic
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Then, review this list of minerals and choose one of the red linked terms that you will work on. This means you will be creating a new article for a topic that does not yet exist on Wikipedia.
- When you have your topic selected, head to the Students tab or the Home tab of this course page and assign your chosen topic to yourself.
Start you bibliography
- Take the "Sources and Citations" training, linked below.
- Then, create a section in your sandbox titled "bibliography" and write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
- Start compiling a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography in your sandbox.
- Request the sources from Ineterlibrary Loan or find them on the internet. When available, begin reading the sources.
- In class - Discuss the article topics
- Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 24 October 2017 | Thursday, 26 October 2017
- Assignment - Draft your article
First, take the "Sandboxes and Mainspace" and the "Plagiarism" trainings, linked below.
Then, create a new section in your sandbox called "article draft" - start writing an outline of your topic: what information do you think is most crucial to your topic? How to do you plan to address that for Wikipedia? You can review the list of existing articles about minerals (list here) to see what sections they include. Try to plan so that your draft will have at least a lead paragraph and two to three additional sections with relevant citations.
Once you have your outline, read through your sources again as you prepare to write the body of the article.
Tip
Your draft should include a "lead section." 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. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 31 October 2017 | Thursday, 2 November 2017
- Assignment - Complete first draft
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. You should still be working in your sandbox to get draft ready for peer-review.
- Take the "evaluating articles and sources" training to make sure you're on the right track. You may also want to look at a few existing articles about minerals (list here) to see what sections they include. Try to make sure your draft has at least a lead paragraph and two to three additional sections with relevant citations.
- Don't forget you can review the Editing Wikipedia brochure at any time for help.
- If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
- In class - Discuss article improvements
- Continue discussing how the articles can be improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 November 2017 | Thursday, 9 November 2017
- Assignment - Peer review & copyedit
- 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, and then assign them to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on 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?
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You should 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 in your sandbox. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 14 November 2017 | Thursday, 16 November 2017
- In class - Moving articles to mainspace
- We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
- A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
- Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
- Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.
Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox
- Assignment - Moving articles to mainspace
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."
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the Sandboxes and Mainspace online training.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 21 November 2017
- Assignment - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article.
- 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.
- If you're considering adding an image to your article, take the "Contributing Images and Media Files" trainings, linked below.
- Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards.
- 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 Content Expert at any time!
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 November 2017 | Thursday, 30 November 2017
- Milestones
Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.