Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of British Columbia/Marine Microbiology EOSC 475 (Spring 2017)
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- Course name
- Marine Microbiology EOSC 475
- Institution
- University of British Columbia
- Instructor
- Curtis Suttle
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
- Course dates
- 2017-01-04 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-04-28 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 40
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 30 January 2017 | Wednesday, 1 February 2017 | Friday, 3 February 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 - Create your account & take introductory Wikipedia trainings
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT, DUE FEB 3RD.
- 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
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- Monday, 6 February 2017 | Wednesday, 8 February 2017 | Friday, 10 February 2017
- Assignment - Critique an article
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT, DUE FEB 8TH.
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Read the Microbiology article on Wikipedia as well as another of your choosing (has to be related to the course in some way.)
- Choose an article, and consider some questions (but don't feel limited to these):
- Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
- 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?
- Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
- Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
- Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
- Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
- Create a section in your sandbox where you leave your thoughts and notes from your evaluation.
- Assignment - Assign yourself your topic on Wikipedia, confirm group draft space
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Each group should have their topic finalized, now you just need to assign it to yourself on this course page.
- Head to the Students tab and assign yourself the topic of your choice.
- Everyone in the group should be assigned to the same Wikipedia article on the Students tab of this course page.
- Select one group member whose Sandbox space you'll all share to draft your article. Each person should link to that shared Sandbox from their own Sandbox page. A sandbox is like any other page on Wikipedia, and anyone can edit it.
- Wikipedia doesn't allow multiple people to edit from different devices at the same time. If you're working together in person, one person should add the work to the Sandbox. If you are all working independently, make small edits and save often to avoid "editing conflicts" with classmates. Make sure that you're logged in under your own Wikipedia account while editing in your classmate's sandbox to ensure your edits are recorded.
- Don't create a group account for your project. Group accounts are prohibited.
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 February 2017 | Wednesday, 15 February 2017 | Friday, 17 February 2017
- Assignment - Find your sources
INDIVIDUAL & GROUP ASSIGNMENT
- Individually, head to your your group sandbox, and create a new section where you leave a few of your ideas for how to improve the 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.
- You and your group members should go over these ideas together.
- As a group, start compiling a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources in your group sandbox.
- Nominate someone to 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
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- Monday, 20 February 2017 | Wednesday, 22 February 2017 | Friday, 24 February 2017
- 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?
- Assignment - Draft your article
GROUP ASSIGNMENT, DUE FEB 24th.
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.
Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 27 February 2017 | Wednesday, 1 March 2017 | Friday, 3 March 2017
- Assignment - Expand your draft
GROUP ASSIGNMENT, DUE March 3rd.
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
- When you have a complete first draft, email your instructor with a link to the sandbox space where you've written it.
- 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.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 March 2017 | Wednesday, 8 March 2017 | Friday, 10 March 2017
- In class - Discussion
- Thinking about Wikipedia
- What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
- What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?
- 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?
- If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
INDIVIUDUAL ASSIGNMENT, DUE MONDAY MARCH 6TH.
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select another groups article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the article that you want to review, and then assign it to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmate's draft. 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?
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
GROUP ASSIGNMENT, DUE FRIDAY MARCH 10TH.
Your group probably has 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 Content Expert if you have any questions.
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 13 March 2017 | Wednesday, 15 March 2017 | Friday, 17 March 2017
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
GROUP ASSIGNMENT, FRIDAY MARCH 17TH.
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!
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 8
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 20 March 2017 | Wednesday, 22 March 2017 | Friday, 24 March 2017
- Assignment - 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.
- Each member of your group should try to link to at least one additional article on Wikipedia from your article.
- Each member of your group should find ONE other article on Wikipedia to link to your article from.
- 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 Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 27 March 2017 | Wednesday, 29 March 2017 | Friday, 31 March 2017
- 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 Content Expert at any time!
- Assignment - Reflective essay
Write a reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:
- 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?
- Group work: Reflect on your group members and their contributions. What did you specifically contribute to the overall Wikipedia project and what did each of the other members of your group help with?
- 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?
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.