Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Lane Community College/WR 121 (Winter 2021)
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- Course name
- WR 121
- Institution
- Lane Community College
- Instructor
- Drew Viles
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Writing (composition)
- Course dates
- 2021-01-04 00:00:00 UTC – 2021-03-22 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 26
This final major research and writing project for students in WR 121 this term is to create a new Wikipedia articles or add to existing ones, or both. The basic assignment is to contribute to a Wikipedia article that the instructor assigns you to create or to spruce up. In other words, you are required to become a Wikipedia editor/contributor for this course and to write an article—or part of an article—for this popular online encyclopedia. To help students with this work, Wiki.edu, an educational foundation based in New York, has collaborated with yours truly in setting up a related Wiki-Edu class online that you will be asked to enroll in. Your successful completion of this assignment for this class will be calculated by the instructor checking off all the following boxes: successful and timely enrollment in the Wiki-Edu class and completion of all required modules and activities contained therein will contribute 50% of your project score while 50% will be determined by the quality of the contributions you write for the online dictionary. My inclination is to use the following rubric (based on one created by Wiki-Edu collaborators) for ascertaining your article’s quality: • Is the topic notable? • Have you successfully avoided a conflict of interest? • Did you write in your own words? Check that your contribution doesn’t contain excessive quotations, or copy any sources, even if you’ve given them credit. • Is the article—or portion of the article you contributed--clear to a non-expert? Check that you’ve explained acronyms and jargon in simple English the first time you use them. • Does the article (or your contribution to it) let the reader decide for themselves? Rewrite any persuasive language that aims to sway a reader to a conclusion. Don’t ask the reader to do something. Let the reader make their own conclusions based on the facts. • Did you proofread your words? Do a basic grammar and spelling check. Make sure your sentences are complete sentences. Remove any first-person (“I/we”) or second-person (“you”) writing. • Is your formatting consistent with the rest of Wikipedia? Don’t use too many bullet-pointed lists or too many headings in your article. • Is every claim of yours cited to a reliable source? Good sources include textbooks or academic journals. Don’t cite blog posts. Do the citations add up to a number that is greater than can be counted on one human hand? • Did you make links between your written words and other Wikipedia articles? Link relevant words to other Wikipedia articles the first time they appear. Visit other Wikipedia articles and link them to the article you’ve been working on, too. Stick to words that relate directly to your topic. • Did you thank people who helped you? Check your User Talk page, and the Talk page of your article. If anyone offered help or feedback, say thanks!
Timeline
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 11 January 2021 | Wednesday, 13 January 2021
- In class - 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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- Wednesday, 20 January 2021
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
- In class - Discussion
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 25 January 2021 | Wednesday, 27 January 2021
- Assignment - Exercise
- In class - Discussion
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 1 February 2021 | Wednesday, 3 February 2021
- 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 begun writing their article drafts.
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 8 February 2021 | Wednesday, 10 February 2021
- In class - Discussion
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 17 February 2021
- 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
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 22 February 2021 | Wednesday, 24 February 2021
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
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.
- 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 9
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 1 March 2021 | Wednesday, 3 March 2021
- 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!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.
Week 10
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 8 March 2021 | Wednesday, 10 March 2021
- Assignment - Reflective Essay