User:Kkmurray/CHEM 4558/Timeline
Timeline[edit]
Class is Tuesday/Thursday 1:30-2:50 starting January 15. February 17 is Mardi Gras break and April 7 and 9 is Spring Break. The last class is April 30.
Wikipedia essentials[edit]
- In class January 20
- Overview of the course
- Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
- Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)
Editing basics[edit]
- In class January 27
- Basics of editing
- Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
- Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
- Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure
- Assignments (due February 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 and click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
- To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to any Wikipedians helping your class (such as a Wikipedia Ambassador), and leave a message for a classmate on their user talk page.
- Milestone
- All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.
Exploring the topic area[edit]
- In class February 3
- Handouts: Choosing an article and How to get help
- Assignments (due February 10)
- Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
- Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Ask your instructor for comment.
Using sources[edit]
- In class February 10
- Handouts: Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia
- Assignment (due February 24)
- Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.
- For next week
- Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by February 24.
Choosing articles[edit]
- In class February 24
- Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.
- Assignments (due March 5)
- Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your article to the class’s course page.
- Compile a bibliography of relevant research and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources.
Drafting starter articles[edit]
- In class March 5
- Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
- Q&A session with instructor and/or Wikipedia Ambassadors about
interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.
- Assignments (due March 12)
- 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, write a summary version reflecting the content the article will have after it's been improved, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page.
- 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.
- Milestone
- All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.
Moving articles to the main space[edit]
- In class March 12
- Handout: Moving out of your sandbox
- Assignments (due March 19)
- Move sandbox articles into main space.
- Optional: For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence “hook,” nominate it for “Did you know,” and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors.
- Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
Building articles[edit]
- In class March 19
- Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
- Share experiences and discuss problems.
- Handouts: “Uploading images” and “Evaluating Wikipedia article quality” (handed out originally January 22)
- Assignments (due March 26)
- Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
- Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copy-edit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)
Getting and giving feedback[edit]
- In class April 2
- 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.
- Assignments (due April 14)
- Peer review two of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
- Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
- Milestone
- All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.
Class presentations[edit]
- In class April 12, 14, 19, 21
- Students give in-class presentations about their mass spectrometry topic.
- Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy,
and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.
- Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
- Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
- Write a reflective essay (2-5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.