User:Professorclee/My Name is URL: Writing for the Web (2207)

Course name

My Name is URL: Writing for the Web (2207)

Institution

University of Western Ontario

Instructor

Dr. Christopher Lee

Subject

Writing

Course dates

2015-01-05 – 2015-03-29

Approximate number of student editors

26

Timeline

Week 1 (2015-01-05): Wikipedia essentials

In class

• Overview of the course
• Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
• Wikipedia is a community: a brief overview of its rules, expectations, and etiquette
• Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)

Week 2 (2015-01-12): Editing basics

In class

• Basics of editing
• Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
• Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
• Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
• Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure

Assignment (due Week 3)

• Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.

• Create a User page, and then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.

• To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.

Milestones

• All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 3 (2015-01-19): Exploring the topic area

In class

• Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement. Use the "choosing an article" handout for guidance.
• Handouts: Choosing an article and How to get help

Assignment (due Week 4)

• Read through this brochure on evaluating Wikipedia articles, especially pages 4-7. This will give you a good, brief overview of what to look for in other articles, and what other people will look for in your own.

• Evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
  • A few questions to consider (don't feel limited to these):
    • Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
    • Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
    • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims that appear biased to one side or an other?
    • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
    • What's missing that could be added?
    • Check a few citations. Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?

• Choose one article, identify ways in which you can improve and correct its language and grammar, and make the appropriate changes. (You do not need to alter the article's content.)

Week 4 (2015-01-26): Using sources and choosing articles

In class

• Handouts: Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia.
  • Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.

Assignment (due Week 5)

• Identify an article that would benefit from illustration, create or find an appropriate photo, illustration, or audio/video, and add it to the article.
  • All media uploaded to Wikipedia must fall under a "free license," which means they can be used or shared by anyone. Examples of media you can use are photos that you take yourself, images and text in the public domain, and works created by someone else who has given permission for their work to be used by others. For more information about which types of media can be uploaded to Wikipedia, see Commons:Help desk.
  • To add a media file to an article, you must first upload it to Wikimedia Commons. For instructions on how to upload files to Commons, refer to Illustrating Wikipedia. This brochure will also provide you with detailed information about which files are acceptable to upload to Wikipedia and the value of contributing media to Wikipedia articles.

• Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. Describe your choices to your instructor for feedback.

For next week

• Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by next week.

Week 5 (2015-02-02): Finalizing topics and starting research

In class

• Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.

Assignment (due Week 6)

• Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your article to the class’s course page.

• Mark your article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. Add this code in the top section of the talk page:

{{course assignment | course = User:Professorclee/My Name is URL: Writing for the Web (2207) | term = Spring 2015 }}

• Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.

Week 6 (2015-02-09): Drafting starter articles

In class

• Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
• Q&A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.

Assignment (due Week 7)

• If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use "summary style", in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide.
• Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues.
• Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article.

Milestones

• All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 7 (2015-02-16): Moving articles to the main space

In class

• Handout: Moving out of your sandbox

Assignment (due Week 8)

• Move sandbox articles into main space.
  • If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
  • If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow these instructions on how to move your work.

• Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 8 (2015-02-23): Building articles, Creating first draft

In class

• Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
• Share experiences and discuss problems.
• Handouts: "Uploading images" and "Evaluating Wikipedia article quality" (handed out originally earlier in the course)

Assignment (due Week 9)

• Select a classmate's article that you will peer review and copyedit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

• Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 9 (2015-03-02): Getting and giving feedback

In class

• As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving one or two of the students' articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.

Assignment (due Week 10)

• Peer review your classmate's article. Leave suggestions on the article talk page.
• Copy-edit the reviewed article.

Milestones

• Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 10 (2015-03-09): Responding to feedback, Continuing to improve articles

In class

• Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.

• Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.

Assignment (due Week 11)

• Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit.

• Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
• Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.

Milestones

• Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 11 (2015-03-16): Finishing touches

Assignment (due Week 12)

• Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. You can find a handy reference guide here.

Milestones

• Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 12 (2015-03-23): Due date

Milestones

• Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

Grading

  5%  

   Completion of Wikipedia training

  7%  

   Early Wikipedia exercises

  %  

   Quality of bibliography and outline

  3%  

   Peer reviews and collaboration with classmates

  10%  

   Quality of your main Wikipedia contributions

  10%  

   Supplementary assignments