Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Mount Allison University/WGST 3911 Gender and Science (Winter 2018)

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Course name
WGST 3911 Gender and Science
Institution
Mount Allison University
Instructor
Elizabeth Stregger
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Gender and Science
Course dates
2018-01-18 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-04-23 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
35


We will contribute to WikiProject Women scientists. Students will work in pairs or trios to expand a stub article identified in the WikiProject, peer-review an article written by another group, and write a reflection on the assignment.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Slrichard Grete L. Bibring Stefi Baum
Hlenhard Eleanor Jones Uche Veronica Amazigo
Kforrestall Hannah Steele Pettit Catherine Jérémie
Smacewan Hannah Steele Pettit Catherine Jérémie
Egourdji Stefi Baum Grete L. Bibring
Lathibeault Catherine Jérémie Hannah Steele Pettit
BChristie Catherine Jérémie Hannah Steele Pettit
Agmctaggart Eleanor Jones Uche Veronica Amazigo
Amber forget Eleanor Jones Uche Veronica Amazigo
Reithger Grete L. Bibring Stefi Baum
Jfirminger J. Mary Taylor Phoebe Caldwell
Onlandry Lotte Strauss Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Jjgourley Lotte Strauss Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Jburyn Uche Veronica Amazigo Eleanor Jones
Lppaegar Carole C. Noon Kaye Wellings
Kmariemuir Lotte Strauss Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Michelleireneroy Carole C. Noon Kaye Wellings
Adonston J. Mary Taylor Phoebe Caldwell
Smkissick Phoebe Caldwell J. Mary Taylor
Rjbamber Phoebe Caldwell J. Mary Taylor
Dvenettam Stefi Baum Grete L. Bibring
Gracesnowdon Stefi Baum Grete L. Bibring
Cjmackenzie96 Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Lotte Strauss
Bfleming2 Catherine Jérémie Hannah Steele Pettit
Vdornan Hannah Steele Pettit Catherine Jérémie
Lrphinney Kaye Wellings Carole C. Noon
Sadonahue Kaye Wellings Carole C. Noon
MMiller13 Uche Veronica Amazigo Eleanor Jones
Katharynrose Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Lotte Strauss
Slbetts Chanda Prescod-Weinstein Lotte Strauss

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Thursday, 18 January 2018
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 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:


Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, this is best done outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.)
  • 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! These trainings are required for your course.
  • 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 2

Course meetings
Tuesday, 23 January 2018   |   Thursday, 25 January 2018
In class - 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 - Review the rules for medical topics

Review Wikipedia's rules for topics related to medicine, human health, and psychology.


Best practices for working in groups
  • Once your group has a Wikipedia article to work on, make sure everyone in the group is assigned to that article on the Students tab of this course page.
  • Select one group member whose Sandbox space you'll all share to draft your article. (It will be titled something like User:Diderot/sandbox.) 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 handle multiple people editing from different devices at the same time very well. 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 - Choose topic and find your sources
  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  •  Look up some articles categorized as stubs in the WikiProject Women Scientists that you might want to update on Wikipedia. Review the content of the article and check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians are already contributing. Identify one or two areas from each that you could improve. 
  • On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself.
  •  In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article. 
    •  What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too. 
    •  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 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 30 January 2018   |   Thursday, 1 February 2018
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Biographies

Women's Studies


Assignment - Get feedback and start planning your article

You've picked a topic and found your sources. This week you will get feedback from Elizabeth on the first phase of this project.

If you'd like to do some pre-work before our editing sessions, these are some good tips on getting started.


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


Milestones




Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 6 February 2018   |   Thursday, 8 February 2018
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?


Assignment - Draft article

This week we will have Wikipedia editing sessions during class time. Elizabeth will be there for in-person help.


  • Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review. 
  •  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.

In this part of the assignment, we'll be looking for well-supported additions to the article. 

Week 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 13 February 2018   |   Thursday, 15 February 2018
In class - Wikipedia edit-a-thon session 2

Week 6

Course meetings
Thursday, 22 February 2018

Week 7

Course meetings
Tuesday, 27 February 2018   |   Thursday, 1 March 2018
Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Select a classmate’s article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the article that you want to review. Then in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign it 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.


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.

Week 8

Course meetings
Tuesday, 6 March 2018   |   Thursday, 8 March 2018
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?


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.


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.


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 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 13 March 2018   |   Thursday, 15 March 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?