Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of New Hampshire/Communicating Science (Spring 2023)
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- Course name
- Communicating Science
- Institution
- University of New Hampshire
- Instructor
- Jennifer Purrenhage
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Science Communication
- Course dates
- 2023-01-24 00:00:00 UTC – 2023-05-20 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 25
NR 508: Communicating Science - Effective science communication and community engagement are critical, particularly in our modern era of information overwhelm. In this course, we actively explore tools and techniques for oral, written, and visual communication of science in various mediums and with a range of publics and motivations. With an emphasis on critical and creative thinking, we will cultivate a set of skills and best practices as each of us develops a personal philosophy for communicating science with diverse audiences.
By the end of this course, the goal is for you to have achieved or made substantive progress towards these objectives as science communicators:
- Develop skills for critically analyzing science communication for content, credibility, and quality.
- Demonstrate appropriate use of strategies for communicating ‘science’ in a way that responds to the purposes and needs of multiple and diverse audiences.
- Demonstrate appropriate use of strategies for interpreting and communicating science in a variety of formats/mediums (e.g., oral and poster presentations, books, podcasts, social media, and mass media including articles, documentaries, and radio interviews).
- Discern the main ideas from a source (e.g., scientific paper, news article, scientific presentation) to interpret and articulate the main points and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the work.
- Demonstrate the ability to use evidence to make an effective argument.
- Effectively communicate complex scientific concepts, research findings, and their societal implications via different modes of communication – i.e., written, oral, non-verbal, and visual.
- Analyze controversial topics in science and develop a strategy to communicate to different audiences.
- Develop an awareness of the ethics of science communication.
- Purposefully use and understand the composing process, including the importance of revision.
- Develop an awareness of yourself as a communicator in written, oral, and digital forms so that you can successfully navigate future communicative situations in your field and life.
- Demonstrate the ability to provide, receive, and use constructive feedback.
- Observe accepted conventions of spelling, grammar, organizational structure, punctuation, delivery, and documentation in disciplinary, interdisciplinary, or professional contexts.
- Deliver presentations in a confident and professional manner, consistent with the standards of the discipline or interdisciplinary field.
- Interact effectively with audience members, engage opposing viewpoints constructively, and demonstrate active listening skills.
Timeline
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 February 2023 | Wednesday, 8 February 2023
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.
Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
NR 508 folks: I reccomend downloading these 2 resources to reference easily throughout the semester (and in the future)! - Jen / Prof. Purrenhage
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)
NR 508 Folks: Please complete the initial SIGN UP and Wikipedia Policies & Sandboxes/Talk Pages/Watchlists trainings before our class on 2/1/23.
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 February 2023 | Wednesday, 15 February 2023
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
NR 508 Folks:
- Please complete the EVALUATING ARTICLES & SOURCES training *before* class on 2/8/23.
- You can complete the Wikicode vs Visual Editor training & Evaluating Wikipedia exercise by the end of this week, 2/10/23 :)
- In class - Discussion
We started to discuss one of the early trainings on this topic during Week 2, and I suspect we will discuss some of these issues during our Library Workshop on 2/8/23.
We'll follow up in a future class meeting on any points not covered by the end of this week.
Please pay attention to issues related to sources and plagiarism as you work through this week's Wikipedia trainings and participate in the Library Workshop :)
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 20 February 2023 | Wednesday, 22 February 2023
- Assignment - CONTENT GAPS
We'll talk more about CONTENT GAPS this week.
You should be working to identify a topic (and related Wikipedia article) that you are excited about AND an aspect of it that represents a content gap.
This week, I'll expect that you've identified 1-2 content gaps that you can address with your Wikipedia-SciComm Project.
I look forward to seeing what you're interested in working on. Remember that we've started brainstorming these topics in our shared NR 508 Google sheet from class on Feb 6 (Tuesday).
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This week (2/13, 2/15), your goal is to justify your proposed choice of WikiProject Topics (1st choice and back-up) by describing the content gaps you would work to fill. Next week, you will select your *approved* topic/article from the official list.
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 27 February 2023 | Wednesday, 1 March 2023
- Assignment - Make a small edit
- Complete the TRAINING by the end of this week (by 9:00 AM on Saturday, 2/25/23).
- Aim to complete the EXERCISE by the same due date, but definitely by the following week, by 9am on Saturday, 3/4/23.
- Assignment - Choose your article
NR 508 Students:
- We are finalizing articles for the WikiSciComm Project this week (2/20-2/22).
- Later in the week, I will populate our articles list with the *approved* topics/articles you've chosen, at which point you can officially choose your topic from the list (before next Monday, 2/27/23).
- Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area
NR 508 Folks: I selected these guides from a list provided because they seemed like the best resources for the types of articles our class will choose to edit this semester. Use them as they apply to your topic/focus.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 March 2023 | Wednesday, 8 March 2023
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
NR 508: Complete these 2 trainings this week (by 9am on Sat., Mar 4)
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 20 March 2023 | Wednesday, 22 March 2023
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 27 March 2023 | Wednesday, 29 March 2023
- NR 508 Students
- Welcome back from Spring Break.
Part of the process of selecting the article you want to work on (edit) and justifying the content gap you plan to fill for that article was your immersion in the peer-reviewed literature related to your topic.
Through that immersion, you should have some understanding of the current knowledge on your topic and you should be ready to draft your edits to the approved Wiki article you've selected. In fact, during Week 6 (a couple weeks before Spring Break), you should have already made a few small edits.
Over the next two weeks, we will be reviewing eachother's plans and edits-to-date (March 20, 22), followed by a review of your draft work in your article's sandbox (March 27).
If you have fallen behind, now is the time to catch up so you are ready to participate in these required and valuable peer reviews.
See you in class, and remember....
---- You can and should reach out to our Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page. ----
- Assignment - Peer review two articles
- In class - Discussion
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 3 April 2023 | Wednesday, 5 April 2023
- In class - Peer Review #2
NR 508 (Communicating Science):
We are completing our 2nd peer review in class on Monday, March 27.
Last Wednesday (3/22), you gave and received peer feedback on your PLAN & 5 Peer-reviewed Sources for your Wiki-Article Edits. After completing the reviews, you and your partner met up and discussed your respective articles, during which time you helped one another identify clear, measurable goals for your Wiki-Article Edits.
By the start of class on Monday, March 27, you will have completed the draft of your edits in your Article Sandbox (along with a clearly marked list of your goals/objectives at the top of your sandbox).
In class on Monday, March 27, we will conduct a 2nd peer review & feedback session, but this time the material reviewed will be your edits -- what you produced relative to your clearly defined goals.
Come prepared and bring a laptop.
See you there! - JLP
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 10 April 2023 | Wednesday, 12 April 2023
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 17 April 2023 | Wednesday, 19 April 2023
- Assignment - Polish your work
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the "mainspace."
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 24 April 2023 | Wednesday, 26 April 2023
- 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 Wikipedia Expert at any time!
- Assignment - Reflective essay
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 1 May 2023 | Wednesday, 3 May 2023
- In class - In-class presentation
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.