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- Course name
- English 1102-116
- Institution
- College of DuPage
- Instructor
- Nadene Eisner
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Composition
- Course dates
- 2017-01-23 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-05-12 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 22
Second course of the first-year writing sequence.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 23 January 2017 | Wednesday, 25 January 2017 | Friday, 27 January 2017
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- 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
- In class - Practicing the basics
- 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.
- Begin looking for an article to evaluate. Think of five topics that interest you. If you cannot think of a topic, you may choose from the list of "Available Articles" on the Articles tab on this course page.
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
- Assignment - Think about topics that interest you
Bring to class on Monday a list of five topics that interest you.
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 February 2017 | Wednesday, 8 February 2017 | Friday, 10 February 2017
- In class - Choose an article to evaluate
- Create a user (Talk) page.
- Practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- From your list of five topics, choose one article or 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 class - Critique your article
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).
- 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?
- Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Aknickmeyer (talk) 15:35, 21 April 2017 (UTC).
- Assignment - Article evaluation
Article evaluation due Sunday night.
- Milestones
By Monday of week 4 you should know which article you will edit. You can edit the same article you used for your evaluation, or you can choose a new article.
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 February 2017 | Wednesday, 15 February 2017 | Friday, 17 February 2017
- In class - 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 on your own or 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.
- Begin to 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.
- In class - 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"?
- 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?
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 20 February 2017 | Wednesday, 22 February 2017 | Friday, 24 February 2017
- Assignment - Make a small change to jump start your editing!
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation or making a small change to your article. There are a few ways you can do this:
- Copyedit the article;
- Re-write a couple sentences or paragraphs that are confusing or poorly written;
- Review the citations and references and delete any dead links and find new sources;
- Add 1-2 sentences to a section needing improvement, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 27 February 2017 | Wednesday, 1 March 2017 | Friday, 3 March 2017
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 March 2017 | Wednesday, 8 March 2017 | Friday, 10 March 2017
- Assignment - Annotated bibliography DUE
As you've all chosen your topic and found your sources, this week's main assignment is to turn in your project proposal and annotated bibliography.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 March 2017 | Wednesday, 15 March 2017 | Friday, 17 March 2017
- Assignment - Draft your article
You've picked a topic, found your sources and compiled your annotated bibliography. Now it's time to start writing the content you'll use to improve your article on Wikipedia.
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 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 20 March 2017 | Wednesday, 22 March 2017 | Friday, 24 March 2017
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review, 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?
- 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.
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.
- Take a look at the comments left by your peers during the review process. Which do you think you should implement? Make any changes necessary.
- 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!
- 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 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 3 April 2017 | Wednesday, 5 April 2017 | Friday, 7 April 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!
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 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 10 April 2017 | Wednesday, 12 April 2017 | Friday, 14 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.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 17 April 2017 | Wednesday, 19 April 2017 | Friday, 21 April 2017
- In class - Work on reflective essay about your Wikipedia experience.
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 24 April 2017 | Wednesday, 26 April 2017 | Friday, 28 April 2017
- In class - Work on reflective essay about your Wikipedia experience
Week 14
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 1 May 2017 | Wednesday, 3 May 2017 | Friday, 5 May 2017
Week 15
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 8 May 2017 | Wednesday, 10 May 2017 | Friday, 12 May 2017