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Timeline

Week 1: Wikipedia essentials

In class

• Overview of the course
• Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
• Handout: Welcome to Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wikimedia Foundation)

Assignment (due week 2)

• Start the online student orientation. During this training, you will create an account, make edits in a sandbox, and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.

Week 2: Editing basics

In class

• 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, Evaluating Wikipedia article quality, Wikimarkup cheatsheet

Assignments (due week 3)

• Complete the online training for students.
• Create a user page, and sign up on the list of students on the 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.

Week 3: Exploring the topic area

In class

• Handouts: Advice for choosing articles and How to get help

Assignments (due week 4)

• 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.

Week 4: Using sources

In class

• Handouts: “Referencing on Wikipedia” and “Understanding Wikipedia’s copyright policy”

Assignment (due week 5)

• 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 week 5.

Week 5: Choosing articles

In class

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

Assignments (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.
• Compile a bibliography of relevant research and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources.

Week 6: 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 and/or Wikipedia Ambassadors about

interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.

Assignments (due week 7)

• 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.

Week 7: Moving articles to the main space

In class

• Handout: Moving out of your sandbox

Assignments (due week 8)

• 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.

Week 8: Building articles

Workshop in class or outside of 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 in week 2)

Assignments (due week 9)

• 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.)

Week 9: 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.

Assignments (due week 10)

• 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.

Week 10: Responding to feedback

In class

• Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy,

and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.

Assignments (due week 11)

• Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 11: Class presentations

In class

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

Assignments (due week 12)

• Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
• Write a reflective essay (2-5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.

Week 12: Due date

You made it!

Milestone

• Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading, and have submitted reflective essays.

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