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- Course name
- English 2
- Institution
- Butte College
- Instructor
- Heather Springer
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- English
- Course dates
- 2018-01-22 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-05-18 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 60
English 2 is a course in reading and composition at Butte Community College. We'll focus this semester on researching, writing, and revising for real audiences, namely Wikipedia users. Wikipedia articles that students will edit are loosely based around the themes in the book Being Wrong: Adventures on the Margin of Error.
Timeline
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 5 February 2018 | Wednesday, 7 February 2018
- Assignment - 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 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 - Get started on Wikipedia
- Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link.
- 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 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 12 February 2018 | Wednesday, 14 February 2018
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Look at this Wikipedia article on Bible Errata. (Errata are printing errors.) 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?
- Write a 250-word evaluation of the article in "Evaluate Wikipedia Article" assignment in Canvas.
- 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 — Springerhe (talk) 16:53, 15 August 2018 (UTC).
- Assignment - Citation Hunt
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by attempting to add a citation to an article.
- The Citation Hunt tool shows unreferenced statements from articles. First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement.
- If you can cite the statement from "Citation Hunt," then click "Cite It" and "Edit Citation." Good work!
- If you can't cite the statement, that's okay. This is just practice. (To earn points though, look through a few citations. Wikiedu tracks your activity.)
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 19 February 2018 | Wednesday, 21 February 2018
- 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.
- Browse the articles I have selected for our class. See "Available Articles" on the Articles tab on this course page. Most articles are here rated by Wikipedia as low quality and high importance. In other words; your contributions to these articles will make a big difference. I've pulled from topics related to error, misunderstandings, and hoaxes, but also topics related to your Community Based Learning projects (animals, the environment, scarcity, social justice) and also to California geography and history.
- Visit at least three of the articles that seem interesting to you and:
- Skim the article evaluating its thoroughness, tone, viewpoint, and citations, just as you did last week.
- Look at the "Talk" section.
- Does it seem like you would have somewhere to start in improving this article? If so, click "Select" in the "Articles" list to assign it to yourself.
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you noticed about the article and what you plan to contribute to it.
- 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 (minimum 3) reliable books, journal articles, or other sources.
- Use Gale Virtual Reference Library and Biography in Context through the Butte College Library to find entries that will help you add to the article.
- Post that bibliography (complete citation, including author, title, and date for each) 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.
- If your topic is related to medicine, human health, and psychology, take the "Editing Medical Topics" training, linked below.
- If your topic is a biography of a person, please read the guide below.
- Review any relevant guide(s) for writing in your topic area
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 26 February 2018 | Wednesday, 28 February 2018
- Assignment - Start Editing your Article
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start planning and implementing your changes.
- Read any feedback that I or Wikipedia techs have left you in your sandbox.
- Copy and paste from your Wikipedia article to your sandbox
- 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 another clearly labeled part of your sandbox.
- Read this valuable short guide to Editing Wikipedia.
- Create a log, with the date, in your sandbox.
To get full credit (10 pts), please post a log of your work in your sandbox. Date it! Note what you'll continue working on next week and any problems or questions that are arising.
Here's an example of your sandbox summary:
- I copied and pasted part of my article into my sandbox. For now, I'm just focusing on the lead section and the first heading.
- I re-read those articles I found last week and saw that I needed another one. I spent about 90 minutes searching ProQuest, and found one more article. It's Robinson, Janice "The tale of two mice" published in Japanese Magna Quarterly.
- I noticed there were some issues with the lead section and posted my suggestions for revision to the talk page. Depending on what feedback I get next, I'll post my revisions of the lead section to the mainspace.
- I updated link #15, which took you to an old site. And spent some time combing through the other links. Most of them work and take you somewhere relevant.... so far. I'll continue this next week.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 5 March 2018 | Wednesday, 7 March 2018
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 12 March 2018 | Wednesday, 14 March 2018
- Assignment - Expand your draft
- Read any feedback that I or Wikipedia techs have left you in your sandbox.
- Search Wikipedia Commons for any images you might be able to add. Pg. 10 & 11 of the Editing Wikipedia guide will help you.
- Consider new Wikilinks you could add to your article. Pg. 12 of Editing Wikipedia will help you.
- If you'd like a Wikipedia Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
- Add to the log of work planned and done in your sandbox. Include the date.
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select ONE classmate's article 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 classmate's draft. Leave suggestions 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?
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 19 March 2018 | Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 26 March 2018 | Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 2 April 2018 | Wednesday, 4 April 2018
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from 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 Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
- 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' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.
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.
- 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!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 9 April 2018 | Wednesday, 11 April 2018
- 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!
- 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 Contributing Images and Media Files training before you upload an image.
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 16 April 2018 | Wednesday, 18 April 2018
- Assignment - Reflective essay
Write a reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
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?
- 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?