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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Alaska Southeast/Library Resources and Information Literacy (Spring 2018)

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Course name
Library Resources and Information Literacy
Institution
University of Alaska Southeast
Instructor
Megan Watson
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Information Literacy
Course dates
2018-01-30 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-04-03 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
6


This course addresses the research process, information lifecycle, and the challenges related to the discovery of reliable, relevant information in an increasingly complex global context. We will also explore current issues related to information literacy such as the ethics and economics of intellectual property, data mining and privacy concerns, social justice and information access, and media literacies. Students are expected to critically engage with their roles as both content consumers and producers. Students will select articles which relate either to an information literacy topic or coursework in their major area of study, in close consultation with the instructor.

Student Assigned Reviewing
DJATrain17

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Tuesday, 30 January 2018
In class - Introduction to the LS 110 Wikipedia project

Welcome to our LS 110 Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project portion of our course. Be sure to monitor our Blackboard course page as well for readings, videos, other assignments, blog prompts, etc.


This site 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. 


We've 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 on our Blackboard course site - Course Content - Week #1. 
  • It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first online training 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 training, 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, 6 February 2018
Assignment - Choose possible topics
  • Complete the Finding Your Article training below. 
  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  • Look up 3-5 potential topics related to the course 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. 
  • Choose 2-3 potential articles from that list that you can tackle, and post links to the articles and your notes about what you might improve in your sandbox. 
  • We'll talk about your potential articles in class on Tue Feb 13.

Week 3

Course meetings
Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Assignment - Editing Wikipedia

Complete the Editing Basics training below to learn about the how-tos of editing Wikipedia.

Then, complete the Evaluating Articles and Sources training and create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" to record notes about your observations and thoughts. You'll be adding to this section next week as well.

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 an article of interest (perhaps the one you wish to focus on for this project, or another related article), and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the Evaluating Articles and Sources training (the optional Sources and Citations training below reviews these steps).
  •  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. 

Week 4

Course meetings
Tuesday, 20 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. 


  • You should have completed the Evaluating Articles and Sources training and create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" last week.  If not, take a few minutes to complete that now.
  • Choose an article on Wikipedia related to your topic to read and evaluate. As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these) and record your observations in the "Article evaluation" section you created in your sandbox: 
    • 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? 



  • 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 — Shackpoet (talk) 18:09, 19 May 2021 (UTC). [reply]
Assignment - Finalize your topic
  • On the Students tab above, assign your chosen topic to yourself.
  • In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article. 
    • Consider your evaluation experience. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too. 
    • Post the bibliography of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources you've found thus far (via other Blackboard assignments and our in-class activities) 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 5

Course meetings
Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Assignment - Draft your article

You've picked a topic and found most of your sources. Now it's time to start writing. First, complete the Sandboxes and Mainspace and Plagiarism trainings below. Then, move on to the following:


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 and searching for useful additions to your bibliography, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.


Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9


Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6

Course meetings
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
Assignment - Expand your draft
  • Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. 
  • 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.

Week 7

Course meetings
Tuesday, 20 March 2018
Assignment - Continue drafting and copy editing
  • Continue working on your articles.
  • Check in with what your classmates are working on. On the Articles tab, find the classmate's article that you want to review.
  • Look over 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? 

Week 8

Course meetings
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Assignment - Respond to feedback

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. We will be working on this in class, and of course you can always reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions. 
Assignment - 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?


As you continue to do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your 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. 
  • 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.
  • Make sure to format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. 

Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help! 

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!

Assignment - Complete your reflective self-assessment paper

You'll find information about the reflective self-assessment paper's parameters and expectations on our Blackboard course site, Course Content - Week 9.

Assignment - Prepare for in-class presentation

Prepare for an in-class presentation during our last session on April 3 about your Wikipedia editing experience. Parameters and expectations are posted to our Blackboard course site, Course Content - Week 9.

Week 9

Course meetings
Tuesday, 3 April 2018
In class - In-class presentations and reflective self-assessment papers due!

A reminder that presentation requirements are available on our Blackboard course site, Course Content - Week 9. 

Submit your reflective self-assessment paper by the end of the day, Tuesday April 3, on Blackboard.

Milestones

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


  • 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!
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