Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO/Science, Culture, and Society III (Spring 2017)
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- Course name
- Science, Culture, and Society III
- Institution
- UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- Instructor
- James Evans
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Sociology
- Course dates
- 2017-03-27 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-06-16 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 60
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 March 2017 | Thursday, 30 March 2017
- 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 Content 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 4 April 2017 | Thursday, 6 April 2017
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Read two of the following articles on Wikipedia:
- Create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings.
- Choose your two articles to read and evaluate from the list. As you read, 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?
- Optional: Choose at least 1 question relevant to one of the articles you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Ian (Wiki Ed) (talk) 22:01, 12 June 2017 (UTC).
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 11 April 2017 | Thursday, 13 April 2017
- Assignment - Research & finalize a topic for the Wikipedia project
Research
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Look up 3-5 potential topics related to the course that you might want to update on Wikipedia. Review the content of the article and check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians are already contributing. Identify one or two areas from each that you could improve.
- If you need help finding a topic, consider browsing the list of "available articles" under the Articles tab above.
- You could also browse any of Wikipedia's stub articles. Try starting with the list of Science fiction stubs here.
- Choose 2-3 potential articles from that list that you can tackle, and post links to the articles and your notes about what you might improve in your sandbox.
Finalize
- On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself (if you are choosing one from the "available articles" list, you can assign it to yourself from the Articles tab.)
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
- Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too.
- Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 18 April 2017 | Thursday, 20 April 2017
- Assignment - Draft your Wikipedia contribution
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
Creating a new 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. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.
Improving an existing article?
- Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox.
Continue writing
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
- Keep reading your sources, too, as you write the body of the article.
- 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.
- Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 25 April 2017 | Thursday, 27 April 2017
- Assignment - Internal review & Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
This week, we will spend some time reviewing each others work so far on Wikipedia.
Once you have a complete draft of your contributions ready, you should request review from another student (or two) also working on the Wikipedia project.
When you review
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select your classmates articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you will be reviewing, 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?
Implement notes
Once you have some feedback, t'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 Content Expert if you have any questions.
Moving 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' or 'Edit source' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.
Creating a new article?
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 2 May 2017 | Thursday, 4 May 2017
- Assignment - Finalize round 1 project
Once it's live
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.
Finishing touches
- 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!
Add digital content to your articles (Optional but encouraged):
You'll want to find or create an appropriate photo, illustration, or piece of video/audio to add to one or both of your articles.
- Before you start, review the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook & see Editing Wikipedia pages 10–11.
- When you've reviewed those pages, take the training linked below.
- Then, check out and see what information Commons already has about your topics. (Follow this link here). Is anything there relevant to your article or anything that could be added to your article?
- If you find something that already exists, feel free to move it to your article live.
- remember: Never grab images you find through an image search, or those found on Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, Imgur, or even so-called "Free image" or "free stock photo" websites. Instead, you'll want to find images with clear proof that the creator has given permission to use their work. Many of these images can be found on search.creativecommons.org or commons.wikimedia.org.
- If you want to create a graph, illustration, sound bite or image that does not yet exist:
- Don't just upload anything to Wikipedia. Instead, upload it to Wikipedia's sister site for images, Wikimedia Commons. For instructions, read through the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook.
- If you want to upload or include information from primary sources, review Wikipedia's policies here and here. Remember: you should NEVER upload anything you don't have permission or own the copyright of yourself.
- Milestones
Everyone has completed their first Wikipedia contribution!
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 9 May 2017 | Thursday, 11 May 2017
- Assignment - Pick topics for round 2 (if applicable)
If you want to do a second round of Wikipedia editing, select your second article topic this week. Remember...
Research
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Look up 3-5 potential topics related to the course that you might want to update on Wikipedia. Review the content of the article and check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians are already contributing. Identify one or two areas from each that you could improve.
- If you need help finding a topic, consider browsing the list of "available articles" under the Articles tab above.
- You could also browse any of Wikipedia's stub articles. Try starting with the list of Science fiction stubs here.
- Choose 2-3 potential articles from that list that you can tackle, and post links to the articles and your notes about what you might improve in your sandbox.
Finalize
- On the Students tab, assign your second chosen topic to yourself (if you are choosing one from the "available articles" list, you can assign it to yourself from the Articles tab.)
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
- Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too.
- Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 16 May 2017 | Thursday, 18 May 2017
- Assignment - Draft Wikipedia contribution (round 2)
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
Creating a new 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. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.
Improving an existing article?
- Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox.
Continue writing
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
- Keep reading your sources, too, as you write the body of the article.
- 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.
- Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 23 May 2017 | Thursday, 25 May 2017
- Assignment - Internal review (round 2)
This week, we will again spend some time reviewing each others work on Wikipedia.
Once you have a complete draft of your contributions ready, you should request review from another student (or two) also working on the Wikipedia project.
When you review
- First, review the the "Peer Review" online training again.
- Select your classmates articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you will be reviewing, 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?
Implement notes
Once you have some feedback, t'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 Content Expert if you have any questions.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 30 May 2017 | Thursday, 1 June 2017
- Assignment - Move draft # 2 live
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' or 'Edit source' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.
Creating a new article?
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
Once it's live
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.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 6 June 2017 | Thursday, 8 June 2017
- Assignment - Final article improvements
It's the final week to develop your articles.
- 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!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.