Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Louisiana State University/Introduction to Information and Society (Fall 2017)

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Course name
Introduction to Information and Society
Institution
Louisiana State University
Instructor
Edward Benoit
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
LIS
Course dates
2017-08-21 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-23 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
70


The course introduces information as a concept, and its changing roles, uses and meanings in contemporary global society.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Bburn13 Digital Divide in Pakistan Digital divide in Japan
Ahmad El-Rachidi Digital divide in Sudan Digital Divide in Ethiopia
Marisa Naccari Digital divide in Japan Digital Divide in Germany
MadelineDeLeo Digital Divide in Bangladesh Digital Divide in Philippines
KimPham Digital Divide in Nigeria Digital Divide in Ethiopia
Mjleblanc90 Digital Divide in Thailand Digital Divide in Vietnam
Carolinelowry Digital Divide in Philippines Digital Divide in Thailand
Ashke96 Digital Divide in Vietnam, Digital divide in Sudan Digital Divide in Bangladesh
Emilyloisel Digital Divide in Malaysia Digital Divide in Thailand
Xh98 Digital Divide in Argentina Digital Divide in Malaysia
Ncusim5 Digital Divide in Argentina Digital Divide in Pakistan
TonyLMurray Digital divide in Myanmar Digital Divide in Nigeria
VDised1 Digital Divide in Morocco Digital Divide in Nepal
Cpoydras Digital divide in South Korea Digital Divide in Colombia
Kwague9 Digital Divide in Pakistan Digital Divide in Nigeria
Ajahan2 Digital Divide in Morocco Digital divide in South Korea
Gabbylewis Digital Divide in Argentina Digital Divide in Philippines
Panaitescu96 Digital Divide in Germany Digital Divide in Colombia
Vverch1 Digital Divide in Nepal Digital Divide in Thailand
Aada119 Digital Divide in Napal Digital divide in South Korea
KalvinMcCrae93 Digital Divide in Pakistan Digital divide in Japan
ErinElWhite Digital divide in Japan Digital Divide in Argentina
Sfast1 Digital Divide in Colombia Digital divide in France
Sandiyenguyen Digital Divide in Colombia Digital Divide in Argentina
Devinhoffmann15 Digital Divide in Nigeria Digital Divide in Nepal
Brookecambre Digital Divide in Nigeria Digital Divide in Argentina
Tnotoes Digital Divide in Vietnam Digital divide in Myanmar
Jlee214 Digital Divide in Bangladesh Digital Divide in Vietnam
Mdufre4 Digital divide in Japan Digital divide in Myanmar
Madison hadden Digital divide in France Digital Divide in Nigeria
Mtho273 Digital Divide in Nepal Digital Divide in Thailand
Zachary4456 Digital Divide in Malaysia Digital Divide in Bangladesh
Adecuir Digital divide in South Korea Digital Divide in Bangladesh
Tglaze2 Digital Divide in Philippines Digital Divide in Morocco
Jellylegz Digital divide in Japan Digital Divide in Pakistan
Pbrook3 Digital Divide in Philippines Digital divide in Japan
Afont89 Digital divide in Myanmar Digital Divide in Ethiopia
Kpc.nguyen Digital divide in Philippines, Digital Divide in Vietnam Digital Divide in Philippines
Agutie31108 Digital Divide in Vietnam Digital Divide in Germany
Mgoree5 Digital Divide in Colombia Digital Divide in Morocco
Jrob193 Digital divide in South Korea Digital Divide in Nepal
Jamikleinpeter Digital Divide in Ethiopia Digital Divide in Nepal
Cjrucker10 Digital Divide in Ethiopia Digital Divide in Morocco
Maggiejo.overton Digital Divide in Germany Digital Divide in Morocco
Jmaliers Digital Divide in Malaysia Digital divide in France
Shelbykatelyn95 Digital divide in Myanmar Digital Divide in Colombia
Tmoor66 Digital Divide in Sudan Digital Divide in Malaysia
Wclapp1 Digital Divide in Morocco Digital Divide in Vietnam
Kmalon7 Digital Divide in Thailand Digital Divide in Germany
Mbella3 Digital Divide in Germany Digital Divide in Malaysia
Aebrah4 Digital Divide in Ethiopia Digital divide in France
Pfant1 Digital Divide in Colombia Digital Divide in Malaysia
Ggardi1 Digital Divide in Germany Digital Divide in Pakistan
XChristianx3 Digital Divide in Bangladesh Digital divide in South Korea
Superlifeguardman Digital divide in France Digital Divide in Pakistan
Marygailmccowan Digital Divide in Thailand Digital Divide in Nigeria
Kbledsoe4 Digital Divide in Thailand Digital divide in Japan
Lalcorn23 Digital Divide in Sudan Digital divide in Myanmar
Msmi282 Digital divide in South Korea, Digital divide in France Digital divide in South Korea
Calliefontana Digital divide in South Korea Digital Divide in Colombia
Lizjee Digital divide in France Digital Divide in Nepal

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Monday, 21 August 2017
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 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:

Week 2

Course meetings
Monday, 28 August 2017
Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
  •  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. 
Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 4 September 2017
Assignment - Discussion
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"?

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 11 September 2017
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).
  • Create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings. 
  • Read the Wikipedia article about the Digital Divide and the Digital Divide in Canada to learn how your article might look when you complete your final assignment. 
  • 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?
  • Post a summary of your answers to your "Article evaluation" section in your sandbox.

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 18 September 2017
Assignment - Add to an article

Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:


  • Add 1-2 sentences to a course-related article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
  •  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. 
  • You will receive technical feedback on your use of Wikipedia after this week.

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 25 September 2017
Assignment - Discussion
Thinking about sources and plagiarism
  • Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
  • What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
  • What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
  • What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?


Assignment - Best practices for working in groups
  • Everyone in the course has been assigned a topic. Please review the Students tab above to see who else has been assigned your topic. This is your group.  
  • Make sure everyone in the group is assigned to the same Wikipedia article on the Students tab of this course page. 
  • Your group will have a discussion forum you can use in Moodle that only your group members and the instructor can see. Introduce yourself to your group members.
  • Every group will be creating a new article stem for their assigned article. Each group member will create a section, and the group will collaborate to create the lead.
  • 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 - Review your topic & find your sources



  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  • In your group sandbox, 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 to your groups article? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page. Decide what sections you want to draft for your article and pick one group member to draft each one. 
    • 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 7

Course meetings
Monday, 2 October 2017
Assignment - Draft your article

You've been assigned your 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. 

Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.

Be sure to edit within the Wikipedia platform. You will receive periodic informal feedback on both your writing and technical skills during this stage.


Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9


Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 9 October 2017
Assignment - 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?


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.

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 16 October 2017

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 23 October 2017
Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  •  You are assigned a fellow group's article to peer review and copy edit. On the Articles tab, find the article that you are assigned to review.
  • Find the link to your assigned peer review article on Moodle.
  •  Peer review your classmates' draft. Leave suggestions on on the Talk page of the article that your fellow students are 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 11

Course meetings
Monday, 30 October 2017
Assignment - Respond to your peer review

Your group 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 Content Expert if you have any questions. 
  • Post a summary of how your group addressed the peer review comments on your group sandbox's talk page.

Week 12

Course meetings
Monday, 6 November 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." 


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 13

Course meetings
Monday, 13 November 2017
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 14

Course meetings
Monday, 20 November 2017
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 Content Expert at any time if you need further help!

Week 15

Course meetings
Monday, 27 November 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!


Assignment - Reflective essay

Write a reflective essay (750-1,500 words) on your Wikipedia contributions. Be use to use the following format: 1.5 spacing, 12 point font, 1 inch margins.


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. 
  • Peer Review: 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? 
Milestones

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.