Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Illinois at Chicago/Public Relations and Digital Media (Spring 2020)
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- Course name
- Public Relations and Digital Media
- Institution
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Instructor
- Zach McDowell
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Communication
- Course dates
- 2020-01-14 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-04-29 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 23
SYLLABUS: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16oZlw2EAt47a1FlPhD5DBjCUgCK9IXkwKhrYCIoTC8I/edit?usp=sharing
This class will provide a historical, interpretive, and critical overview of the history of public relations as well as its role in contemporary society, with particular emphasis on contemporary digital media campaigns. This is not a “how to do public relations course.” Rather, we will study how public relations messages build identities and persuade publics by identifying and shaping audience understandings, beliefs and values. We will also study how public relations messages offer the corporation as the source of both social stability and progress. Through this understanding, students will learn to analyze, address, engage with, and craft public relations messaging.
This group project will be a significant improvement to a Wikipedia stub (short article) or a new article that accurately and neutrally covers a local nonprofit. Your group will collaborate on finding proper sources, writing a neutral and balanced article that adheres to the guidelines, as well as commenting on other groups’ projects.
Course Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to apply the principles or public relations to specific cases studies, organizations, and professional situations.
Students will be able to design, construct, and disseminate public relations campaigns and strategies for all media –print, analog, digital, and social.
Students will be able to identify and analyze the use of ethics in public relations and social media.
Students will be able to critique the use of social media in public relations.
Timeline
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 29 January 2020
- 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 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 3 February 2020 | Wednesday, 5 February 2020
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
- In class - Discussion
- In class - Discussion
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 10 February 2020 | Wednesday, 12 February 2020
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 17 February 2020 | Wednesday, 19 February 2020
- Assignment - Add to an article
- Assignment - Exercise
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 24 February 2020 | Wednesday, 26 February 2020
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their company overview
- In class - Contact nonprofit
Contact your nonprofit (send instructor email draft)
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 2 March 2020 | Wednesday, 4 March 2020
- In class - Discussion
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 9 March 2020 | Wednesday, 11 March 2020
- In class - Company Overview Due
Send your company overview to me. Your next task will be to transform this into a draft Wikipedia page in a Sandbox
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 16 March 2020 | Wednesday, 18 March 2020
- In class - Continue drafting in sandbox
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 30 March 2020 | Wednesday, 1 April 2020
- In class - Milestone
- Draft Complete in Sandbox
- Assignment - Peer review an article
- 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 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 April 2020 | Wednesday, 8 April 2020
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
- 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
- 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 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 April 2020 | Wednesday, 15 April 2020
- 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 14
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 20 April 2020 | Wednesday, 22 April 2020
- In class - In-class presentation
- 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!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.