Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University/Technical and Professional Editing (Fall 2020)
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- Course name
- Technical and Professional Editing
- Institution
- Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University
- Instructor
- Matt McKinney
- Subject
- Course dates
- 2020-08-19 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-11-24 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 24
This is an applied course meant to prepare students to function as an editor in technical and professional venues. It will focus on three related skill-sets: developing a careful eye for detail and precision while working with written and visual documents; practicing commenting and marking writing in a way that is clear and useful; and developing the ability to work in multiple, unfamiliar, and often difficult genres and media. It will practice the leadership and cooperation required for editorship as well as experience the challenges of working with technical subjects.
The Wikipedia-related assignment will be to find an article that needs improvement on Wikipedia and update it (i.e. the research and write content assignment the module stipulates). Students will work on this assignment in teams. I am basing my version of this assignment on Dr. Josh DiCaglio's, and he will be providing guidance for me on the Wikipedia project.
Timeline
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 9 September 2020 | Friday, 11 September 2020
- 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.)
- Assignment - Wikipedia assignment blog
Begin a blog about your experiences. You can use discussion questions to frame your entries, or reflect on the research and writing process. Create at least one blog entry each week during the Wikipedia assignment.
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 14 September 2020 | Wednesday, 16 September 2020 | Friday, 18 September 2020
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
- In class - Discussion
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 21 September 2020 | Wednesday, 23 September 2020 | Friday, 25 September 2020
- Assignment - Review the rules for health topics
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
- In class - Discussion
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 28 September 2020 | Wednesday, 30 September 2020 | Friday, 2 October 2020
- Assignment - Add to an article
- Assignment - Exercise
- Assignment - Exercise
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 5 October 2020 | Wednesday, 7 October 2020 | Friday, 9 October 2020
- Assignment - Peer review two articles
- In class - Discussion
- 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 9
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 12 October 2020 | Wednesday, 14 October 2020 | Friday, 16 October 2020
- 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 - Exercise
- 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 10
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 19 October 2020
- 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!
- Assignment - Reflective essay
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.