Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Southern California/Social Media for Scientists and Engineers (Fall 2017)
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- Course name
- Social Media for Scientists and Engineers
- Institution
- University of Southern California
- Instructor
- Sarah Mojarad
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Science and Engineering Communication
- Course dates
- 2017-08-21 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-01 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 10
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Thursday, 31 August 2017
- Assignment - Introduction to Wikipedia
Welcome to your Wikipedia Edu course dashboard. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for ENGR 499. Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
To get started, here are a couple of recommended readings:
Before reading further, stop and take a moment to create your Wikipedia account. Please create a username that is your first intial and last name (e.g., smojarad). Once your account is created, come back to this dashboard while you are logged into Wikipedia.
Training Modules (10%)
All of the training modules on this dashboard are required. Start early and have them completed before class on Thursday, August 31. Make sure you are logged in to your Wikipedia account while working. This allows me to track your progress and completion.
The training modules take time to complete; plan accordingly. The (generous) estimated time for completion is as follows:
- Wikipedia Essentials (23 minutes)
- Editing Basics (20 minutes)
- Evaluating Articles and Sources (15 minutes)
- Sources and Citations (10 minutes)
- Peer Review (7 minutes) *
- Plagiarism (15 minutes)
- Consider this training while determining the Wikipedia page you'd like to edit for this assignment. You are not required to evaluate your classmate's edits.
Need Help? Contact Sarah for clarification. Also, remember we have a Content Expert from Wiki Edu for support through out this assignment.
- Assignment Overview
Overview
The goal of this exercise is for you to participate in STEM communication with high impact and visibility. Wikipedia is the 6th most visited website in the world, and your contributions will improve the public's understanding of STEM disciplines. Through this assignment, you will gain experience in writing about complex or technical topics in a way that a non-technical audience can understand.
Grading
- Training Modules (10%)
- Wikipedia Test Run (40%)
- Continue Improving Your Article (50%)
Deadlines
- Thursday, August 31 (2 PM) - Training Modules
- Tuesday, September 5 (2 PM) - Wikipedia Test Run
- Sunday, September 10 (11:59 PM) - Continue Improving Your Article
Time Management
I've set deadlines on this assignment for a reason. Don't leave your work to the last minute! Remember that your Wikipedia contributions impact the people who read it and the editors who will continue to make updates after this assignment has ended. Add value! Please do not make frivolous contributions for the sake of fulfilling grading components.
- Spend time completing the training modules to understand Wikipedia.
- Work ahead when possible and ask questions if you are confused or lost.
- Choose a page to edit that you are interested in and allow for plenty of time to research the topic.
- Communicate often on Talk pages with other editors.
Need Help? Contact Sarah for clarification. Also, remember we have a Content Expert from Wiki Edu for support through out this assignment.
- Assignment - Wikipedia Test Run
Now that you are familiar with Wikipedia, let's get editing!
Wikipedia Test Run (40%)
Identify the Wikipedia page you will use for this assignment. You will edit it, evaluate it, and make a small update to the page. This will serve as your "test run" on using Wikipedia. If you have any questions, we can address them in class before the final assignment deadline. Please have your test run completed by class on Tuesday, September 5.
Choose an article
I've picked a number of Wikipedia pages for you to use during this assignment. Refer to the "Articles" tab at the top of this dashboard. Go to the "Available Articles" section, review the available pages, and click "Select" to assign one to yourself.
Alternatively, you can find an article to edit that interests you; the topic must be STEM-related. If you choose your own Wikipedia page to edit, you must receive Sarah's approval before proceeding.
Evaluate the article
Read through the existing article and Talk page. Consider its strengths, weaknesses, and the following points:
- Point of View - Is the article neutral?
- Content - Is the information up-to-date? Are there areas that should be expanded?
- References - Are the existing sources reliable and appropriate for the article?
As you evaluate these points, leave notes in your sandbox space that you can refer to later. In these notes, include the following:
- Link to the article you will be editing
- Reason why you will be making edits and any additional notes
- New sources you will likely include in the final stage of edits
Edit the article
There are two steps to complete:
- Add 1-2 sentences to the Wikipedia page and include a reliable reference for the new content. When saving the changes, don't skip over the "Edit Summary" box. Include a brief statement that describes your changes.
- Comment on the Talk page and let the other page editors know that you will be making additional edits. Specify the section(s) of the page you will work on.
Grammar-only changes are not significant enough to receive credit. Your edits must add value or help to further clarify existing content.
Need Help? Contact Sarah for clarification. Also, remember we have a Content Expert from Wiki Edu for support through out this assignment.
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 5 September 2017 | Thursday, 7 September 2017
- Assignment - Continue Improving Your Article
Continue Improving Your Article (50%)
During the "Evaluate the Article" section of the Wikipedia Test Run, you identified strengths and weaknesses of your assigned article and took notes in your sandbox space. Use this as a starting point for the final phase of this assignment. Also, you may find that other Wikipedia editors have followed up on the Talk page. Be sure to check it often and communicate with other editors as you add content.
Deliverables
For this final section of the assignment, have the following deliverables completed by Sunday, September 10 at 11:59 PM.
- Add or adjust 3-4 sentences to the page
- Add or update 4-5 references
- Use the Talk page to communicate with other Wikipedia editors
I've provided additional clarification on these points below. Please read through the full explanation.
- Add or adjust 3-4 sentences to the page. You can skip around the Wikipedia article or focus your efforts on a specific section. Don't be afraid to create new sections or split existing content under new headers.
- Edits that qualify as an addition or adjustment:
- Adding completely new content to the page;
- Sentence rewrites with new or updated information; and
- Rewriting existing content that has been identified on the Talk page as too technical or confusing.
- Edits that do not qualify as an addition or adjustment:
- Rearranging words or fixing punctuation;
- Removing or replacing one or two words in a sentence;
- Plagiarism. If you are unsure, ask Sarah, the Content Editor, or use the Talk page. Don't just copy and paste someone's work, please.
- Changes that are purely reformatting (e.g., splitting sections or creating a new header). These types of changes should be done as you make edits, but for grading purposes, take the next step and add content for full credit.
- Edits that qualify as an addition or adjustment:
- As you make adjustments, save each edit--one at a time. Include a brief description of the changes in the "Edit summary" box. Do not copy and paste large sections of edits from the Sandbox to a live page.
- Add or update 4-5 references. As you add or adjust content on Wikipedia, be sure to support your article changes by citing reliable references. If you need a refresher on reliable and scholarly sources, refer to the "Sources and Citations" training.
- Edits that qualify:
- [Citation Needed]: If your Wikipedia page has Citation Needed tags, update them! Remove the tag and add a reliable reference.
- Replace an existing reference: Verify that the existing reference list on the page has quality sources. If the article has unreliable references, replace them with reliable ones.
- Edits that qualify:
- Use the Talk page to communicate with other Wikipedia editors. Before making any edits to a page, please read through the Talk page. It's good to understand why content is listed, areas of an article where disputes have arisen, and if any editors recognize existing knowledge gaps. For highly trafficked or controversial pages, you must communicate early and often.
- Respect the community. While your contributions to Wikipedia will be tracked and assigned a letter grade for this course, understand that the users who contribute to Wikipedia have different motivations. Please do not rush through the assignment and make changes for the sake of fulfilling the requirements listed on this dashboard. This does not add value and Wikipedia contributors will likely reach out to you or I about this.
- Stop, collaborate and listen. Wikipedia is a highly collaborative environment and your contributions might get reverted. The person who reverted your changes will have likely provided clarification on the Talk page; if it isn't there, politely contact the user on the Talk page. If feedback is provided, read through the comments and try to understand why your changes were not accepted. Contact Sarah or the Content Expert before reinstating the same changes that had been previously reverted.
Need Help? Contact Sarah for clarification. Also, remember we have a Content Expert from Wiki Edu for support through out this assignment.