Wikipedia:USEP/Courses/Online Communities (Dr Gilly Leshed)

Course information

 * University: Cornell University
 * Course title: Online Communities
 * Professor name: Dr. Gilly Leshed
 * Professor's Wikipedia username:
 * Wikipedia Online Ambassador: Piotr Konieczny
 * Wikipedia Online Ambassador username:
 * Course start date: August 23, 2012
 * Assignment due date: October 4, 2012

Course description
Online communities are an important part of how we work, learn, and socialize. But how are they designed? What are they really good for? What do people do there? Why are some communities more successful than others? What are the key issues in this field of research? This course will cover topics and issues of online communities from both a design perspective and a social-science perspective, demonstrating them through a variety of types of online communities.

Goals
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
 * Understand important features of interactions in online communities,
 * Analyze online interactions critically,
 * Understand, identify, and respond to design issues of online communities, and
 * Understand the research issues in this field.

Wikipedia assignment
In the first half of the semester, you will be working with two other students to compose or majorly edit a Wikipedia article. The purpose of this assignment is to learn and understand the backbone of how Wikipedia works, as an example of an active, vibrant, and successful online community.

This project will involve:
 * Creating a Wikipedia account and becoming familiar with the Wikipedia editors community
 * Proposing a missing article to compose or an underdeveloped article to expand
 * Researching the topic of the article and finding reliable resources for a high-quality article
 * Learning and adhering to the policies, standards, and norms of Wikipedia editing
 * Engaging in discussion with other Wikipedia editors about the contents and form of the article
 * Publishing and editing the article
 * Reflecting on the process of becoming part of the Wikipedia community

Your work in this project will be evaluated based on the quality and depth of the article you have edited or created, your interactions on talk pages and involvement with the Wikipedia community, demonstrating the evolution of your contribution through the history of the article, following Wikipedia’s writing standards in content and style, and your reflection on the Wikipedia assignment and community participation.

Student usernames

 * - Hannah Kremer
 * - Ho Yeung Daniel Tse
 * - Javier Campanini
 * - Raisa Razzaque
 * - Stephanie Ahart
 * - Tim Nguyen
 * - Kevin Lin
 * - Amanda Quain
 * - James Kang
 * - Margaret Remsen
 * - Sooyeon Kim
 * - Jack Newton
 * - Josh Barrom
 * - James Shaughnessy
 * - Victoria Imbesi
 * - Sarah Elliott
 * - Jerome Thomas
 * - Austin Duenas
 * - Jean-Carlos Polanco
 * - Michelle Wilson
 * - Andrena Garden
 * - Brian Nader
 * - Keith Newman
 * - Colin Gick
 * - Aaron Martinez
 * - Jared Ksas
 * - Steve Bosak
 * - Jen Dilzell
 * - Mercy Gbenjo
 * - Marthe (Molly) Krause
 * - John Weinrich
 * - Alexander Agoado
 * - Jennifer Pierre
 * - Joey Panosian
 * - Kelly Davies
 * - Kyle Kessler
 * - Lauren Smith
 * - Trey Utsey
 * - Michelle Nanni

Student resources
For on-wiki help, please refer to this student orientation and this brief resource page.

Immediate help
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Enter your Wikipedia username, fill out the CAPTCHA, and click "Connect" to enter chat. Then explain what you need help with.

If no one replies within about 3-5 minutes, try this help channel instead.