User:Bothell130/ Conservation Biology

This course is an upper level course on biodiversity conservation. Students are completing case studies, and contribution portions of their cases to Wikipedia as a public presentation of their work.

STEP 1 (2015-02-26): Wikipedia essentials, Editing basics, Exploring the topic area

 * Understanding Wikipedia as a community, its expectations and etiquette
 * Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)


 * 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


 * Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure


 * In your project draft, due on Thursday 5 March, be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.
 * Handouts: Choosing an article


 * 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 then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.


 * Review pages 4-7 of the Evaluating Wikipedia brochure. This will give you a good, brief overview of what to look for in articles, and what other people will look for in the articles that you support.

Here are a number of optional exercises you could do to feel more comfortable (I know many will not have time - so these are all optional!)


 * OPTIONAL: To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.


 * OPTIONAL: 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.)


 * OPTIONAL: Evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's talk page.
 * A few questions to consider (don't feel limited to these):
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?


 * All students who will use Wikipedia in this course have user accounts and are listed on the course page.

STEP 2 (2015-03-05): Using sources and choosing articles

 * Handouts: Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia.
 * Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.


 * To get a little practice working with Wikipeida, add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to your project.


 * Identify any article(s) that would benefit from amplification with the materials you have developed in your case study, and list the url that links to these articles in your draft project report.

FOR THOSE WHO ALSO WANT TO ADD PHOTOS OR OTHER MEDIA CONTENT:
 * If you choose to add media content, all media uploaded to Wikipedia must fall under a "free license," which means they can be used or shared by anyone. Examples of media you can use are photos that you take yourself, images and text in the public domain, and works created by someone else who has given permission for their work to be used by others. For more information about which types of media can be uploaded to Wikipedia, see Help desk.
 * To add a media file to an article, you must first upload it to Wikimedia Commons. For instructions on how to upload files to Commons, refer to Illustrating Wikipedia. This brochure will also provide you with detailed information about which files are acceptable to upload to Wikipedia and the value of contributing media to Wikipedia articles.


 * For next time
 * Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by Tuesday 10 March.

STEP 3 (2015-03-10): Initial work on articles

 * By the start of our next class, for any article you want to work on, mark the article's talk page with a banner to let other editors know you're working on it. To add the banner, add this code in the top section of the talk page:


 * Add a link to your selected article to the table at the bottom of this course page.
 * 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.


 * 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.


 * Note: 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.
 * 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 these instructions on how to move your work.

STEP 4 (2015-03-10): Building articles, Creating first draft

 * Expand your an initial draft of material to integrate in to Wikipedia article(s).

FINAL STEP (2015-03-20): Due date

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