User:Librarydenyse/LIBR 2100: Introduction to Research in the Information Age

Wikipedia Project 40%

Groups will be comprised of 3-4 students based on your area of study

The goal of this project is to improve Wikipedia articles by finding relevant citations and adding a short passage of new content. In the process you will use your searching, evaluating and citing skills.

This is a collaborative exercise, so you are allowed to assist group members in the process of learning how to find, evaluate and cite items. You are not allowed to do work for other students, but you can provide suggestions and feedback that will allow them to improve their skills. The class will be divided into groups of 3-4 students based on their academic programs. After completing the Introduction to Wikipedia exercises, each student will choose a Wikipedia article with passages that need citation, as indicated by the [citation needed] tag. The article must also be suitable for adding a short passage, at least one or two sentences of new content, with additional citation. The Wikipedia article must be related to the student's field of study. Over the span of the course, students will practice their searching, evaluation, citation and writing skills to improve the Wikipedia article. There are deadlines each week of the course associated with this assignment.

Weeks 1 & 2 – 5%

In the first 2 weeks you will become acquainted with Wikipedia and Wikipedia culture, choose an article, and begin your search for citations and new content. Please see below for more details.

Weeks 3 & 4 – 20%

In the 3rd and 4th weeks of the course you will be focused on searching and evaluating the sources and providing and receiving feedback on your work. You will begin the process of adding new content and citations. Please see below for more details.

Weeks 5 & 6 – 15%

In the final weeks of the course you will refine your new content and citations by incorporating the feedback you have received. Please see below for more details.

Week 1 (2015-07-06):  Wikipedia essentials, Editing basics, Exploring the topic area

 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette
 * Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)
 * Tips on how to use the Wikipedia Subject Portals for finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
 * Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure
 * Handouts: Choosing an article


 * Create a Wikipedia account


 * Create a User page using a pseudonym, and then click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.


 * Inform the instructor of your pseudonym.


 * Complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.


 * 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.


 * List at least two articles on your Wikipedia user page with the reasons you think they are appropriate for the project. (You will only use one but you will need a backup in case your first choice is selected by another student, or not appropriate for the assignment).


 * Also on your Wikipedia user page, add 1 or 2 of your observations about the Wikipedia articles in your topic area. Do they reflect what you have learned from the training, handouts and readings regarding Wikipedia?

Week 2 (2015-07-13):  Information Sources: Finding & Evaluating Sources
Project check in


 * Add a note and with a link to the LIBR 2100 Wikipedia Course Page to your chosen Wikipedia article’s Talk page indicating that as part of a course assignment you will find the citation needed and will add a short passage of new information (with citation). Make sure to check back on the talk page often and engage with any responses.


 * On your Wikipedia User Page, using the Wikipedia referencing handout, the Search log and evaluation worksheets as a guide, find and add appropriate information sources for the passages in need of citation.
 * If the source in online, please include the link.
 * Note: Finding sources that contradict the passage is the Wikipedia article is also useful.


 * Repeat this process for the passages chosen by your group members on their Wikipedia User’s Pages. Remember to sign your contribution with your Wikipedia name.
 * The goal of the exercise is to create a pool of sources from which the best will be selected, so do not duplicate resources, instead add a different source, indicating that your preferred source was already added.


 * On your Wikipedia User page, provide a very rough draft of your new content that will be added to your chosen Wikipedia article. This is just the idea stage.
 * You may provide more than one idea if you wish to receive feedback before choosing one to submit for the assignment
 * If you are choosing to add an image or other audio visual content please demonstrate that it adheres to Wikipedia’s guidelines for such content.


 * On your Wikipedia User page, contribute 2 relevant, reliable sources for the new information that you will be adding to your chosen Wikipedia article.


 * Under each source, provide a very brief description of how each article relates to your idea for new content.


 * With guidance from the search log worksheet provide a brief overview of the search strategy used for finding the information sources


 * Submit your search log worksheet in Moodle


 * Submit your evaluation worksheets in Moodle

Week 3 (2015-07-20):  Information Sources: Finding & Evaluating Sources

 * Project check in


 * Review all your group members’ contributions in their Wikipedia User pages before July 29th class using evaluation checklist and feedback forms.


 * During class on July 29, the group will review the information sources gathered in the Moodle group workspace to select the best to add to Wikipedia.


 * As a group, indicate on each Wikipedia User’s Page which information source was selected to be used for the Wikipedia passages in need of citation.


 * The group will receive a grade for the selection and evaluation process. Each group member must submit their contribution (i.e. evaluation checklists and feedback forms) to the group evaluation process in Moodle


 * Add your citation to your chosen Wikipedia article using the Wikipedia citation style.


 * Submit your passage with citation to Moodle using the APA citation style.


 * After viewing your group members Wikipeida Sandbox pages, use the feedback worksheet to, provide feedback to your group members on their search strategy and information sources for the idea for additional content.


 * Peer review your classmate's article. Leave suggestions on the article talk page.


 * Submit the feedback worksheet to the instructor via Moodle

Week 4 (2015-07-27):  Citation & evaluation

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


 * A general reminder: Don't panic if your Wikipedia citation 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.


 * Using instructor and group member feedback where appropriate, provide a second draft of your bibliography and new content in your Wikipedia sandbox. This draft will be more formally written with attention paid to proper citation, grammar and spelling.
 * Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
 * Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your content, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.

Week 5 (2015-08-03):  Research as process, Getting and giving feedback, Responding to feedback

 * Project check in
 * Share experiences and discuss problems.

OR
 * If you have received final approval from your instructor, add your work with citation in the Wikipedia format to the Wikipedia article.
 * If you have received feedback requesting additional changes to your work, please make the suggested changes in your Wikipedia Sandbox.


 * Submit the APA version of your annotated bibliography (resources used with the description of how they relate to your content) and new passage to Moodle Wikipedia Project Assignment


 * Move your sandbox articles into main space.
 * When adding to 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.
 * We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
 * Handout: Moving out of your sandbox
 * A general reminder: 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.


 * Every student has finished revising their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 6 (2015-08-10):  Information as value, Continuing to improve articles, Finishing touches

 * Open discussion of the concepts of copyright, creative commons, neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.
 * Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved.


 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. You can find a handy reference guide here.

Week 7 (2015-08-17):  Due date

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