Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Texas at San Antonio/Black Lives Matter - Critical Perspectives (Spring 2017)
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- Course name
- Black Lives Matter - Critical Perspectives
- Institution
- University of Texas at San Antonio
- Instructor
- Sonja Lanehart
- Wikipedia Expert
- Shalor (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- English
- Course dates
- 2017-01-09 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-04-28 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 32
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 February 2017
- Introduction to the Wikipedia research project
Welcome to the Wikipedia project timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia research project option for our course. If you decide to opt-in for this project, you will be expected to follow and complete the milestones described below.
Here, we are attempting to break down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.
If you opt-in, you'll also get a chance to interact with our Wikipedia Content Expert throughout the assignment. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
To learn a bit more about the project and to decide if you want to opt-in, review the following handouts:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Create an account & take introductory trainings
- If you do decide to opt in: Start by creating an account and joining this course page, using the enrollment link provided.
- After you've created your account: 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. You will be expected to complete all the trainings individually, even those of you who decide to work as part of a group for this project.
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page. (You can see other students who have opted in on the Students tab above.)
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 14 February 2017
- Assignment - Critique an article
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Read & review the Wikipedia article about Black Lives Matter and one other related to the course.
- As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
- Is each fact 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?
- 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?
- Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
- How does the way Wikipedia discusses these issues compare to the way we've discussed them in class?
- Choose at least 1 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating that is not the BLM article. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — AngelicBeaver (talk) 01:39, 24 April 2017 (UTC).
- Assignment - Copyedit an article
Choose an article in the Category:Black Lives Matter article list (or possibly another on Wikipedia that you think is relevant to the course). Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article.
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 21 February 2017
- Assignment - Optional
- you can work in groups for this assignment
- If you decide to work in a group, you need to finalize your group members this week.
- After you finalize your topic, you should make sure everyone in the group is assigned to the same Wikipedia article on the Students tab of this course page.
- Select one group member whose Sandbox space you'll all share to draft your article. Each person should link to that shared Sandbox from their own Sandbox page. A sandbox is like any other page on Wikipedia, and anyone can edit it.
- Wikipedia doesn't allow multiple people to edit from different devices at the same time. If you're working together in person, one person should add the work to the Sandbox. If you are all working independently, make small edits and save often to avoid "editing conflicts" with classmates. Make sure that you're logged in under your own Wikipedia account while editing in your classmate's sandbox to ensure your edits are recorded.
- REMEMBER: Don't create a group account for your project. Group accounts are prohibited.
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Choose 3–5 potential articles that you can tackle, and post links to them on your Wikipedia user page. For articles that already exist, check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians might be doing. Finally, present your choices to your instructor for feedback.
- Assignment - Finalize your topic / Find your sources
- On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself. (If you're working in a group, both group members should have the same article assigned).
- 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.
- Group Discussion
- What's a content gap?
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
- Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
- What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
- Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
- What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 February 2017
- Assignment - Draft your article
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 Wikipedia page 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.
Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 March 2017
- Assignment - Expand your draft
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
- If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
- Group Discussion
- Thinking about sources and plagiarism
- Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
- What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
- What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
- What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 14 March 2017
- In class - Spring Break
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 21 March 2017
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer 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!
Creating a new article?
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
- Group Discussion
- Thinking about Wikipedia
- What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
- What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?
- On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?
- If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 March 2017
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
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.
- Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 4 April 2017
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 11 April 2017
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
(If you're working in a group, you must do this assignment individually.)
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select a classmates’ article (or another groups article) that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the article that you want to review, and then assign it to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmate's draft. Leave suggestions on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
- As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 18 April 2017
- 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. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
- 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.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 25 April 2017
- 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 Content Expert at any time!
- Assignment - April 25th
- In-class presentations
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?
- Group work: If you worked as part of a group, take a moment to reflect on the group work here. How did it go? What strengths did each of your bring to the project? How well did you work together?
- 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?
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.