Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/York College, CUNY/African-American Art (Fall 2017)

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Course name
African-American Art
Institution
York College, CUNY
Instructor
Margaret Rose Vendryes
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Artists of African Descent in the USA
Course dates
2017-08-29 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-19 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
10


the history of black artist working and living in the USA

Student Assigned Reviewing
TiaraTorres Alvin D. Loving
Yocelynz Houston Conwill
LillySnow321 Richard Hunt (sculptor)
Chevy2100 Elizabeth Catlett
Sdobson126 Martin Puryear
SelenaHM Richard Hunt (sculptor)
Melicolin23 Sam Gilliam
Regisimms Sam Gilliam
Emily.McDonald Martin Puryear

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Tuesday, 17 October 2017
Introduction to the Wikipedia project

Introduction
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.

Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.

Group work
You will be working in groups for the remainder of this project. Please follow these best practices as you continue moving forward.


  • Make sure everyone in the group is 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. 
Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, this is best done outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.) 
  • Please review the following handouts:
  • 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. 
Assignment - Evaluate your Wikipedia article

Assign yourselves your topic

  • On the Students tab, make sure both members of your group have assigned your chosen topic to themselves. For example, 
    • Elizabeth Catlett
    • Al Loving
    • Sam Gilliam
    • Houston Conwill
    • Richard Hunt

Evaluate what exists on Wikipedia about your artist 

  • Each member of your group should complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
  • Create a section in your group sandbox titled "Article evaluation" where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings. 
  • Review the Editing Wikipedia articles on Biographies handout.
  •  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 the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — LillySnow321 (talk) 00:53, 8 November 2017 (UTC). [reply]

Use these questions to help guide your research outline for your Wikipedia submissions, due 10/17 by 11:59pm. 

Week 2

Course meetings
Tuesday, 24 October 2017
Assignment - Find your sources
  • Review the "Editing Wikipedia articles on Biographies" handout again. 
  • Both group members should take the "Sources and Citations" training, linked below. 
  • In your group sandbox, work together to 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. 
    • 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 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 31 October 2017
Assignment - Draft your article contribution

You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing. Before you begin, both members of your group should take the "Sandboxes and Mainspace" training, linked below. 


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

Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 7 November 2017
Assignment - First draft due
  • Both members of your group should take the "Plagiarism" training, linked below. 
  • 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.


First Draft for Wikipedia Submission due by 11:59pm

Week 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Assignment - Peer review
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Select another groups’ draft that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review. Then in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign them to yourself to review. 
  • 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 review

You probably have some feedback from your instructor, 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.

Week 6

Course meetings
Tuesday, 21 November 2017
Assignment - Illustrate your article

You'll want to find or create an appropriate photo, illustration, or piece of video/audio to add to your article.




  • When creating your own image, photo, or other media: 
    • Don't just upload an image 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 add media that already exists:
    • When you're ready to start finding images, 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

Week 7

Course meetings
Tuesday, 5 December 2017
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!
  • 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?


Final Wikipedia Submission to Prof. V due by 11:59pm on December 5th

Week 8

Course meetings
Tuesday, 12 December 2017
In class - In class presentations

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? 
  • Group work: reflect on your group dynamic, what each of you contributed, and some of the struggles you faced in completing this assignment. 
  • Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback? 
  • 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? How did this assignment change your feelings about using the content from Wikipedia articles in other classes?
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.
  • Consider adding an image to your article. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take the 'Contributing Images and Media Files' training before you upload an image.

Week 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 19 December 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!

Final submission of updates to Wikipedia due during finals week