Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Brain and Behavior (Lisa Lu)/Timeline

8/28/12: Wikipedia Essentials

 * In class
 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course


 * Assignment (due 9/4/12)
 * Read: Welcome to Wikipedia and Five pillars, an explanation of Wikipedia's basic rules and principles (all Wikipedia reading assignments are available on reserve in the library, so students who do not have access to their own computer at home or internet access can still obtain these materials to read. Go to the reservation desk and ask for PSYC 336 materials)
 * Review the articles listed in Articles and rank 5 that you would like to research and expand on Roosevelt's Blackboard page (submit on Discussion Board).

9/4/12: Editing basics

 * In class
 * Basics of editing
 * Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good & bad articles


 * Assignments (due 9/11/12)
 * Read handouts: Evaluating Wikipedia article quality brochure, Account and user page creation handout, Wikimarkup cheatsheet
 * View videos if you need more help: Video on creating an account, Talk pages tutorial video
 * Create a Wikipedia account, create a user page, and add yourself to list of students on the Student section of this page.
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to one of the class's Online Ambassadors (via talk page) or 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.

9/11/12: Project topic & sample article

 * In class
 * Project topic assignment & assignment of groups (3-4 per group)


 * Assignments (due 9/18/12):
 * Add your name to the User column corresponding to your assigned article
 * Critically evaluate this article on the amygdala (How is the organization of the content? What would you like to know about the topic is not presented? Is the writing style neutral and are references provided? Which aspect of this article would you like to aspire to emulate? What aspect of this article would you like to avoid in your own article?)
 * Research topic area (by using databases such as PubMed and PsychInfo) & start requesting articles/references via interlibrary loan if our library doesn't have them (each student is allowed 5 free interlibrary loan requests each week)

9/18/12: Primary vs. secondary sources

 * In class
 * Discussion of differences between primary and secondary sources


 * Assignment (due 9/25/12)
 * Read handhouts: Referencing handout, Referencing: Wikicode handout, Plagiarism handout,


 * View videos if you need more help: Citing sources tutorial video, RefToolbar citation tool tutorial video
 * Research topic area: read articles/chapters you've obtained. This initial reading will likely lead you to more articles/chapters. Obtain additional articles/chapters from the library.
 * Create an initial outline of your article
 * Bring articles/chapters to class

9/25/12: Group work

 * In class
 * Work with your group to develop strategies for structuring your article. Come up with an outline for your article. Specify responsibilities of each team member


 * Assignments (due 10/2/12)
 * Add the Wikipedia Ambassador Program banner (see below) to your article's talk page.
 * Post a bibliography of relevant research to the talk page of the article you are working on.

10/2/12: Drafting starter articles

 * In class
 * Wikipedia culture & etiquette. Introduce the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.


 * Assignments (due 10/9/12)
 * Write an outline of your article content after it's been improved, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article's talk page.
 * Begin working with classmates and Online Ambassadors to polish your short starter article and fix any major transgressions of Wikipedia norms.
 * Video resource: Sandbox tutorial
 * Continue research and reading in preparation for expanding your article.


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

10/9/12: Building articles 1

 * In class
 * Work with group to refine article


 * Wiki assignments (due 10/16/12)
 * Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

10/16/12: Building articles 2

 * In class or outside of class
 * Work with group to refine article


 * Wiki assignments (due 10/23/12)
 * Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
 * Read this handout again: Evaluating Wikipedia article quality brochure
 * View videos: Article assessments video, Evolution of an article video
 * View these video if pertinent to your needs: Uploading images handout, Uploading files to Wikimedia Commons video
 * Select two classmates' articles that you will peer review and copy-edit by adding your name to the Reviewer column in the Articles section. (You don't need to start reviewing yet.)

10/23/12: Getting and giving feedback

 * In class
 * As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving one or two of the students' articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.
 * Work with group to compose a one-sentence "hook" for your article in preparation for nomination to "Did you know."


 * Wiki assignments (due 10/30/12)
 * Peer review the two articles you signed up for. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Read handout: Submitting articles to Did You Know
 * Finish composing a one-sentence "hook" for your article, nominate it for "Did you know," and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors.


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

10/30/12: Responding to feedback

 * In class
 * Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia
 * Learn about Good Article review process: Good article nominations


 * Wiki assignments (due 11/6/12)
 * Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia article. Each group will speak for 7 minutes to share what you learned about your topic and your experience in editing a Wikipedia article.


 * Wiki assignments (due 11/13/12)
 * Make edits to your article based on peers' feedback.
 * Nominate your article for Good Article status.

11/6/12: Class presentations 1

 * In class
 * Half of the groups will give in-class presentations.

11/13/12: Due date
Share your project with your family over Thanksgiving break!


 * Wiki assignments (due 11/27/12)
 * Write a reflective essay (2-3 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions and submit it on Roosevelt's Blackboard Assignment tab.


 * Milestone
 * Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading, and have submitted reflective essays.

11/27/12: Monitor Good Article nomination status

 * Wiki assignments (due 12/11/12)
 * Add final touches to you Wikipedia article. Try to address issues from Good Article reviews.

12/11/12: Class presentations 2

 * You made it!


 * In class
 * The other half of the groups will give in-class presentations.
 * Articles that achieved Good Article status will receive 10 extra credit points towards to the Wikipedia Project grade (awarded to all members of the group).

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