Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Trent University/POST 4801H Research Practicum (Fall and Winter)

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Course name
POST 4801H Research Practicum
Institution
Trent University
Instructor
Nadine Changfoot
Wikipedia Expert
Shalor (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Research Practicum
Course dates
2017-10-02 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-05-31 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
1


Under the direct supervision of Nadine Changfoot, the following research activities will be undertaken within Dr. Changfoot’s ongoing research program. For this course, the student will be involved in two research projects: 1) Bodies in Translation: Activist Art, Technology, and Access to Life (BIT – SSHRC funded) and 2) Community First: Impacts of Community-Campus Engagement (CFICE, SSHRC funded. There is only 1 student in this course.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Pedlann

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Thursday, 12 October 2017
Introduction to the Wikipedia project

Welcome to your Wikipedia project's timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project - be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.

You may progress through these steps at your own pace. The weeks provided are just guidelines for your work.


Your project 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. 

Assignment - Step 1
Get started on Wikipedia
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. 
  •  Review the following handouts: 
  • 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. 
In class - Step 2
choose your topic
  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  • Your goal: find one article that you want to improve on Wikipedia 
    • To start, search Wikipedia for what already exists in the areas you're interested - if the article is already really long or well developed, consider finding a new topic. 
  • Once you finalize your topic, head to the Students tab above and assign it to yourself. 
Assignment - Step 3
Evaluate your topic on Wikipedia

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia. You'll evaluate a series of Wikipedia articles 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. 
  • Find your article on Wikipedia and any related topics to read and evaluate. 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?
  •  Optional: 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 — Pedlann (talk) 13:32, 12 October 2017 (UTC). [reply]

Week 2

Course meetings
Thursday, 2 November 2017
In class - Step 4
find your sources

In your 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? 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
Thursday, 9 November 2017
Assignment - Step 5
draft your content

You've picked a 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 Wikipediapage 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.

Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9

Week 4

Course meetings
Thursday, 16 November 2017
Assignment - Step 6
request review

Request review of your draft when ready. 


Week 5

Course meetings
Thursday, 23 November 2017
Assignment - Step 7
Implement feedback and create article

Respond to instructor feedback


  • 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.

Once you've made improvements to your article based on 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' or 'Edit source' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly. 

Creating a new article?


Week 6

Course meetings
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Assignment - Step 8
final article improvements

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.
  • 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 - Step 9
Reflective Essay

Prepare reflective essay (3–5 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? 
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