Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Michigan/Drugs of Abuse (Winter 2017)

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Course name
Drugs of Abuse
Institution
University of Michigan
Instructor
Justin Schell
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Behavioral Neuroscience
Course dates
2017-01-05 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-04-18 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
2


This course provides an introduction to the neuropsychopharmacology of drug abuse and addiction, and has a strong natural science (neuroscience) orientation.

The acute and long-term effects of selected drugs of abuse on behavior, mood, cognition and neuronal function are discussed, and material from studies with humans is integrated with basic preclinical studies on the neurobiological basis of drug action and drug abuse -- including detailed coverage of synaptic transmission and the distribution, regulation and integration of brain neurotransmitter systems. The focus is on addictive or illicit drugs, and all the major classes are discussed, including: opioids (heroin, morphine, opium), sedative - hypnotics (alcohol, barbiturates, chloral hydrate), anxiolytics (benzodiazepines), psychomotor stimulants (amphetamine, cocaine), marijuana, hallucinogens (LSD, mescaline), hallucinogenic-stimulants (MDA, MDMA), and dissociative anaesthetics (PCP).

Successful completion of this Wikipedia project will account for 15% of your final course grade.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Courtlee214
Btravers

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Tuesday, 10 January 2017   |   Thursday, 12 January 2017
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. 

Successful completion of this Wikipedia project will account for 15% of your final course grade. 

 To get started, please review the following handouts: 

Assignment - Create your account & take Wikipedia trainings
  • 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, 17 January 2017   |   Thursday, 19 January 2017
Assignment - Choose your topic / Find your sources

It's time to choose an article and assign it to yourself.

  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  •  Find an article from the list of "Available Articles" on the Articles tab on this course page. When you find the one you want to work on, click Select to assign it to yourself. 
  •  In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article. 
    •  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. 

___

Review information regarding evaluating articles and sources, as well as Wikipedia's rules for topics related to medicine, human health, and psychology. You can use thoughts & opinions on this training to help guide another post in your Wikipedia blog. 

In class - Library meeting

As homework earlier this week, you finalized the topic that you'll be working to improve on Wikipedia.

***Please schedule an appointment with the psychology librarian to meet by the end of Week 3.  Please complete this week's training modules (Evaluating Articles/Sources; Editing Medical Topics) before this meeting. Also, be sure to bring your preliminary list of sources for discussion and any questions.*** 

Week 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 24 January 2017   |   Thursday, 26 January 2017
Milestones

Begin a blog about your experiences. You can use the discussion questions below & the critique an article project to frame your entries, and/or reflect on the research and writing process. 

Complete 7 blog posts over the course of the semester - some writing prompts are included in the weekly descriptions below. 

Assignment - Critique an article

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to this course & the article you've chosen to work on, and leave suggestions for improving them on their respective article Talk pages. 

  • Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
  • Select one of the following articles to critique on Wikipedia:
  • Evaluate the article. During your evaluation, consider the following 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?


  • When you're done, go to the article you've selected to contribute to and critique that page. What did you learn about what a good Wikipedia article looks like in your evaluation of the previous page? What could you update or improve about your topic? 


  • Don't forget to use this project as a prompt in your Wikipedia blog. 


  • When you're done with your evaluations, choose at least 1 question relevant to each article & leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Bfsinger (talk) 16:59, 11 January 2017 (UTC).[reply]

Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 31 January 2017   |   Thursday, 2 February 2017
In class - Discussion (blog prompt)
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 - Getting started with editing

Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation or making a small improvement to your article. There are a few ways you can do this:

  • Add a new citation or reference to the article. Check to see if any of the current ones are dead. 
  • Copyedit the article for spelling or grammatical mistakes. 
  • Rewrite 1-2 sentences that Wikipedia would consider poorly written. Make sure not to delete any links or references. 

Week 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 7 February 2017   |   Thursday, 9 February 2017
Assignment - Draft your article

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

In class - Discussion (blog prompt)
What's a content gap?

 Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions. 

  • Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
  • What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
  • Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
  • What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?
Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6

Course meetings
Tuesday, 14 February 2017   |   Thursday, 16 February 2017
Assignment - Expand your draft
  • Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review. 
  • 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 7

Course meetings
Tuesday, 21 February 2017   |   Thursday, 23 February 2017
Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Peer review your classmates draft. 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? 

Week 8

Course meetings
Tuesday, 7 March 2017   |   Thursday, 9 March 2017
Assignment - Respond to your peer review

Over the break: 

  • 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. 
  • Consider using the peer review experience as another prompt (or two) for your Wikipedia blog. What changes did you suggest? What changes were suggested for your topic? Which did you decide to implement and why? 
Milestones

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 14 March 2017   |   Thursday, 16 March 2017
In class - Discussion (blog prompt)
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 - Begin moving your work 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!

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 10

Course meetings
Tuesday, 21 March 2017   |   Thursday, 23 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. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles. 

Week 11

Course meetings
Tuesday, 28 March 2017   |   Thursday, 30 March 2017
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 12

Course meetings
Tuesday, 4 April 2017   |   Thursday, 6 April 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!
Milestones

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.