Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Colgate University/The Evolution and Ecology of Sex (Fall 2019)
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- Course name
- The Evolution and Ecology of Sex
- Institution
- Colgate University
- Instructor
- Jennifer Blake-Mahmud
- Wikipedia Expert
- Elysia (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- CORE SP
- Course dates
- 2019-08-28 00:00:00 UTC – 2019-12-22 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 24
In this course we'll be learning about what sex is, how it started, and why it sticks around.
The information available in public access sources is often limited by what people volunteer to write about. This means there is lots of information on sex in large, cute, animal creatures (800+ words on bonobo sexual behavior) but very little on other creatures (<20 words on slime mold sex), which have equally fascinating reproductive lives. Furthermore, often evolutionary processes which are equally at work in plants and animals, protists and bacteria, birds and bees, are often only referenced for charismatic mega-fauna.
Wikipedia is the first stop for information for everyone from undergraduates to law makers. Making information available that is representative of the diversity in the natural world is an important task. You'll take on one small piece of this communal task during the course of this class. Enjoy!
Timeline
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 5 September 2019
- Assignment - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.
Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 10 September 2019 | Thursday, 12 September 2019
- In class - Discussion
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 17 September 2019 | Thursday, 19 September 2019
- Assignment - Do the exercise, look at some articles. DO NOT assign yourself one yet
[[../../../training/students/choose-topic-from-list-exercise|Brainstorm potential topics / Find some sources]]
- In class - Discussion
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 24 September 2019 | Thursday, 26 September 2019
- Assignment - Add to and refine your list of potential topics
By the end of the week, have a list of at least 5 potential topics that interest you. This should include two options from the class list and three of your own. Two options may be a specific species for which there is little or no information regarding its reproduction.
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 1 October 2019 | Thursday, 3 October 2019
- Assignment - Add media content to an existing article
- Assignment - Submit you final short list of topics
Submit a list of the final ranking of your potential topics. For your new suggestions, include a sentence about what you might add to the wikipedia page. I'll optimize topics across the class and let you know what your term-project topic is.
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 8 October 2019 | Thursday, 10 October 2019
- In class - Assign yourself a topic
- Assignment - Find your sources
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Thursday, 17 October 2019
- In class - Discussion
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has started reading and annotating their sources and drafting notes for their article.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 22 October 2019 | Thursday, 24 October 2019
- Assignment - Work on your article
- Assignment - Want to get your upcoming article more press?
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 29 October 2019 | Thursday, 31 October 2019
- Assignment - Peer review two articles
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 5 November 2019 | Thursday, 7 November 2019
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
Week 12
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 12 November 2019 | Thursday, 14 November 2019
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Exercise
Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.
Week 13
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 19 November 2019 | Thursday, 21 November 2019
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the "mainspace."
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
- 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!
Week 14
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 3 December 2019 | Thursday, 5 December 2019
- 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!
Week 15
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 10 December 2019 | Thursday, 12 December 2019
- Assignment - Reflective essay
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.