Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Chicago/Dinosaur Science (Spring 2017)
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- Course name
- Dinosaur Science
- Institution
- University of Chicago
- Instructor
- Stephanie Baumgart
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Paleontology
- Course dates
- 2017-03-28 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-06-23 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 15
This introductory-level (but intensive) class includes a ten-day expedition to South Dakota and Wyoming (departing just after graduation). We study basic geology (e.g., rocks and minerals, stratigraphy, Earth history, mapping skills) and basic evolutionary biology (e.g., vertebrate and especially skeletal anatomy, systematics and large-scale evolutionary patterns). This course provides the knowledge needed to discover and understand the meaning of fossils as they are preserved in the field, which is applied to actual paleontological sites.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 30 March 2017
- In class - Wikipedia essentials
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for our 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 training events to help you get started on Wikipedia.
This 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 - 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.
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
- Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.
Handouts: Using Talk Pages
- Milestones
All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 4 April 2017 | Thursday, 6 April 2017
- Using sources
- Understand close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.
Handouts: Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism
- Assignment - Choosing your article
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. Describe your choices to your instructor or TA for feedback.
- Handouts: Choosing an article
- In class - Discuss the article topics
Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.
- Assignment - Finalize your topic and start researching
- Select an article to work on by the 16th, removing the rest from your user page.
- On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself.
- For the 23rd, begin compiling a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
- In your sandbox, write out your bibliography and include a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 11 April 2017 | Thursday, 13 April 2017
- Assignment - Drafting starter articles
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
- You will receive feedback on these lead sections to help you polish your lead sections and fix any major issues.
- Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 18 April 2017 | Thursday, 20 April 2017
- Assignment - Complete first 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 5
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 25 April 2017 | Thursday, 27 April 2017
- Assignment - Continue improving articles
Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.
- Moving articles to mainspace
Learn about moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
- A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
- Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
- Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.
Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 2 May 2017 | Thursday, 4 May 2017
- Assignment - Moving articles to mainspace
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 Sandboxes and Mainspace online training.
Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox
- Assignment - Final article
- 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.
- 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!
Handout: Polishing your article
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 9 May 2017 | Thursday, 11 May 2017
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 16 May 2017 | Thursday, 18 May 2017
- Milestones
Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.