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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/West Chester University/History on the Web (Fall 2015)

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Course name
History on the Web
Institution
West Chester University
Instructor
Jannekenls
Subject
History
Course dates
2015-08-25 – 2015-12-10
Approximate number of student editors
31


In an age when both professional historians and students of history can conduct much of their research remotely via the Internet and an abundance of historical resources are available digitally, it is imperative to develop skills to critically engage with, evaluate, and synthesize these resources. This class teaches critical information literacy by providing instruction in searching and discovering information, evaluating material critically, and collecting and curating information. This course will develop your ability to gain the transferable skill of moving from information to knowledge.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Jannekenls Quilt
Gregatmu
Ksheeran13 Irish_pub
TG802810 Shark_Island_Concentration_Camp
Cait1017 American_Colonization_Society
Ampolitsky35 Broad_Street_(Philadelphia)
Lb805536 History_of_herbalism
Atmicalizzi5 Cocacolonization
NHansch Globalization_in_China
Aj Hrabovecky Lavender_Scare
MaxwellSyd Dragon_Boat
MO793376 Ed_Bolden
Hanaakimm New_Western_History
Schazamoo Philadelphia_International_Records
Youngsucram History_of_soccer_in_the_United_States
Brigrassi Woman's_Medical_College_of_Pennsylvania
Jtonnessen208 Alp_Arslan
BaylorHalfacre Gnomes
JCleph The_Dixie_Hummingbirds
Mf785261 William_Everhart
Cwalmsley94 Chuck_Taylor_All-Stars
Devinquack American_Bandstand
Ejw7592 Microbrewery
Smithje2012 Philadelphia_Tribune
RHoch Bumper_Sticker
AshleyStruempfler Integrative_Medicine
Iallen95 Slum_tourism
Caseycrail Washington_Duke
Jnilaf89 Dorothea_Lange
Gardenld Ruby-Throated_Hummingbird

Timeline

Week 1

In class - Wikipedia essentials
  • Overview of the course
  • Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
  • Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette.



Handout: Editing Wikipedia

Week 2

In class - Editing basics
  • 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, Evaluating Wikipedia


Assignment - Practicing the basics
  • 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.
  • To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to another student on their user talk page.
  • 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 mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.



Resources: Online Training for Students

Milestones

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

Week 3

In class - Exploring the topic area
  • Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles in your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.



Handouts: Choosing an article


Assignment - Copyedit an 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

In class - Using sources
  • Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.



Handouts: Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism


Assignment - Choosing your article
  • Your instructor has created a list of potential topics for your main project. Choose the one you will work on.
  • 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 5

In class - Discuss the article topics
  • Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.


Assignment - Drafting starter articles
  • If you are starting a new article, write a 3–4 paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, create a detailed outline reflecting your proposed changes, and post this for community feedback, along with a brief description of your plans, on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check back on the talk page often and engage with any responses.
  • Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your short starter article and fix any major issues.
  • Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.

Week 6

In class - Wikipedia culture and etiquette
  • 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.
Milestones

All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 7

In class - Moving articles to mainspace
  • We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
  • A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
  • Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
  • Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.



Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox


Assignment - Moving articles to mainspace
  • Move your 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 the instructions in the "Moving out of your sandbox" handout.
  • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 8

In class - Building articles
  • Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
  • Share experiences and discuss problems.



Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia


Assignment - Choose articles to peer review
  • Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the articles you will peer review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

Week 9

Assignment - Complete first draft
  • Expand your article into a complete first draft.

Week 10

In class - Group suggestions
  • As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.


Assignment - Peer review and copyedit
  • Peer review two of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
  • Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
Milestones

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

Week 11

In class - Media literacy discussion
  • Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.


Assignment - Address peer review suggestions
  • 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.

Week 12

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


Assignment - Continue improving articles
  • 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.


Assignment - Prepare for in-class presentation
  • Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 13

In class - In-class presentation
  • Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.


Assignment - Final article
  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.



Handout: Polishing your article

Week 14

Milestones

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