User:Profmwilliams/course wizard/Timeline

Timeline
This timeline refers only to the Wikipedia component of the course. Students should see the course syllabus for a full outline of course readings, lecture topics, and assignment due dates.

Unit 1: Wikipedia essentials

 * In class
 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Wikipedia Adventure
 * Handout: Welcome to Wikipedia


 * Assignment (due 9/12)
 * 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.

Unit 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 9/19)
 * 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 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.

Unit 3: Using Sources

 * In class
 * Handouts: “Referencing on Wikipedia”, Understanding Wikipedia's Copyright Policy, "How to get help", Reference Formatting, Plagiarism
 * Assignments (due 9/26):
 * Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class (see the list of potential articles provided by the professor) and leave suggestions for improving it on the article’s talk page.
 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.

Unit 4: Choosing articles

 * In class
 * Discuss strategies for researching topics and finding reliable sources.


 * Assignments (due 10/3)
 * Select an article to work on and add it to 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.

Unit 5: Getting started with revising articles

 * In class
 * Discuss the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
 * Discuss what constitutes a substantial revision for the purposes of the final assignment.
 * Q&A session about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.


 * Assignments (due 10/10)
 * As a pair: Write a summary version of your planned revisions—with citations—in one group member's Wikipedia sandbox. Both people in the group should make edits to the summary. Your summary should reflect the content the article will have after it's been improved.
 * After polishing the summary as a pair, post the summary along with a brief description of your plans for revision on the article’s talk page.
 * Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your revisions and fix any major issues.
 * Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.


 * Milestone
 * All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Unit 6: Moving revisions to the main space

 * In class
 * Q&A about revisions and goals of the assignment.
 * Work on revisions.


 * Assignments (due 10/24)
 * As a pair: Move revisions from article talk pages into the main space.
 * As a pair: Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Unit 7: Building articles

 * Workshop in class
 * Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
 * Share experiences and discuss problems.
 * Handouts: “Uploading images” and “Evaluating Wikipedia article quality” (discussed initially in unit 2)


 * Assignments (due 10/31)
 * As a pair: Expand your revisions outline into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
 * As a pair: Select another pair's article to peer review and copy-edit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

Unit 8: Getting and giving feedback

 * In class
 * As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two pairs' revisions, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.


 * Assignments (due 11/7)
 * As a pair: Peer review another pair's revisions. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * As a pair: Copy-edit the peer-reviewed revisions.


 * Milestone
 * All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.

Unit 9: Responding to feedback

 * In class
 * Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.


 * Assignments (due 11/14)
 * As a pair: Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback.

Unit 10: Final Wikipedia workshop

 * In class
 * Open discussion of concerns and last-minute help needed to finish article.


 * Assignments (due 12/1)
 * As a pair: Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.

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