Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Maryland/INST201-0102 Introduction to Information Science (Fall 2017)
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- Course name
- INST201-0102 Introduction to Information Science
- Institution
- University of Maryland
- Instructor
- Elizabeth Bonsignore
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Information Studies
- Course dates
- 2017-08-28 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-11 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 105
We all rely on Wikipedia to help us quickly get answers to our information needs. Some people generally distrust the accuracy of content on Wikipedia because it is generated by a community of anonymous contributors; however, a lot of research suggests popular Wikipedia pages are very reliable.
How does content get onto Wikipedia’s pages? What is the process for evaluating proposed changes? How does Wikipedia ensure information is correct and non-biased?
Understanding how Wikipedia works ties directly into our course discussions on information needs and information literacy. Over several weeks this semester, you’ll complete training on how to edit and evaluate Wikipedia and submit your own edits to an article.
(Adapted from Wikipedia courses created by Drs. Jessica Vitak and Elizabeth Bonsignore, for INST201, Spring/Summer 2017.)
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 11 September 2017 | Wednesday, 13 September 2017 | Friday, 15 September 2017
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia project
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.
Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content 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:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Practice the Basics
- Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
- 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. (You should be able to see a list of all the students in the course on the Students tab above.)
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 18 September 2017 | Wednesday, 20 September 2017 | Friday, 22 September 2017
- Assignment - Critique
- Selecting and Critiquing an Article
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll select a Wikipedia article to critique, engage with Wikipedia's policies for content, and evaluate the article's strengths and weaknesses. Consider how you would like to improve upon the article. You'll be uploading your critique to ELMS (as a Word or text doc). Use the Assignment Rubric as your guide.
First: Complete the training modules listed below ("Evaluating Articles and Sources" and "Plagiarism").
Second: Select an article that you're interested in critiquing. Pick an article that interests you or one on a topic you want to learn more about. Assign it to yourself in the Students tab in this WikiEdu class (see "Students" tab above).
Third: Complete your review (400-600 words) and upload it to ELMS. Be sure to include the following elements:
- Include the name of the article you selected to review. Also include a link to the article.
- Write a brief (one paragraph max) summary of the Wikipedia page you're evaluating and the content included.
- Critique the article based on Wikipedia's standards for content (your training modules will cover this). You should also review Wikipedia's documentation on what the site "is not." Use the following questions to guide your evaluation:
- Are facts referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
- 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? (see Wikipedia's guidance on Neutral Points of View)
- Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
- Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
- Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
- What might you contribute to make it better?
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 25 September 2017 | Wednesday, 27 September 2017 | Friday, 29 September 2017
- Assignment - Contribution
- Revise/Add to a Wikipedia article!
Here's where you add content and a related citation to an article that you've chosen and assigned to yourself.
First: Complete the training modules for this assignment (links below).
Second: Evaluate your selected article (from the critique assignment) for its strengths and weaknesses. What might you contribute to make it better? Include notes in your sandbox space. Your notes should include a link to the page you're editing and a rationale for why you're revising/adding to it. The notes don't have to be formal, but provide some insight into your decision process: Why'd you decide to add something to this article? What do you want to add or correct?
Third: Make your contribution to Wikipedia:
- Make at least two contributions to your article (e.g., add new or revised sentences and/or add an image -- in two places), and
- Cite your additions/revisions to a reliable source (just as you learned in the online training module on Sources/Citations).
**IMPORTANT NOTE**: Grammar-only changes are not significant enough to receive credit. Likewise, plagiarized content or content that is reverted for violating one of Wikipedia's policies will not receive credit. Therefore, it is very important you familiarize yourself with Wikipedia's editing policies.