Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Cognition Lab (Dr. Julie Boron)/Timeline

Timeline

 * Course start date: August 23, 2012
 * Assignment due date: December 6, 2012

Week 1 (August 23): Wikipedia Essentials

 * In class
 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Handout: Welcome to Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wikimedia Foundation)


 * Assignment (due week 2)
 * Read Five pillars, an explanation of Wikipedia's basic rules and principles

Week 2 (August 30): Editing basics

 * In class
 * Campus Ambassadors introduce:
 * Basics of editing
 * Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good & bad articles
 * Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
 * Handouts and videos: Video on creating an account, Talk pages tutorial video, Evaluating Wikipedia article quality brochure, Account and user page creation handout, Wikimarkup cheatsheet

See Training/For students which contains an outline of the basics.


 * Assignments (due week 3)
 * Create a Wikipedia account, 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 one of the class's Online Ambassadors (via talk page) Smallman12q (talk), 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.

Week 3 (September 6): Exploring the topic area

 * In class
 * Handout: Advice for choosing articles


 * Assignment (due week 4)
 * Look for existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and critically evaluate it for content. Note the article's structure, tone, and coverage of the topic. Think of a few suggestions you could make to improve the article.

Week 4 (September 13): Practice Editing

 * In class
 * Leave a leave suggestion for improving an existing Wikipedia article related to the class on the article's discussion page.
 * Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Ask your class's Online Ambassadors for comments.


 * Assignment (due week 5)
 * Need to have identified at least two potential articles to update by September 20, 2012. Please see syllabus for details of documentation required.

Week 5 (September 20): Using sources

 * In class
 * Handouts and videos: Referencing handout, Referencing: Wikicode handout, Plagiarism handout, Citing sources tutorial video, RefToolbar citation tool tutorial video


 * For next week
 * Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by week 6.

Week 6 (September 27): Development of source list

 * In class
 * Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.


 * Assignment (due week 7)
 * Students should be developing a list of sources relevant to the chosen project topic.
 * Source list is due by October 4, 2012. Please see syllabus for details on documentation required.

Week 7 (October 4): Research Topic

 * Assignment (ongoing)
 * Begin reading the approved sources on your chosen topic.
 * Compile your references of relevant research and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on.
 * Begin drafting 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to your Wikipedia article related to the class.

Week 8 (October 11): Drafting starter articles

 * In class
 * Instructor and/or Campus Ambassadors talk about Wikipedia culture & etiquette, and [optionally] introduce the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
 * Q&A session with instructor and/or Campus Ambassadors about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing
 * Video resource: Sandbox tutorial


 * Assignments (due week 9)
 * Outline draft is due October 18, 2012
 * Note: If you are starting a new article, write a 3–4 paragraph outline version of your article (with citations) in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, write an outline version reflecting the content the article will have after it's been improved, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article's talk page. Please refer to syllabus for specific details regarding required documentation.
 * Begin working with classmates and Online Ambassadors to polish your short starter article and fix any major transgressions of Wikipedia norms.
 * Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.


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

Weeks 9 & 10 (October 18 & 25): Writing and Editing

 * In class
 * Handout: Moving into main space, Submitting articles to Did You Know
 * Uploading images, and adding images to articles
 * Handouts and videos: Uploading images handout, Uploading files to Wikimedia Commons video, Evaluating Wikipedia article quality brochure (handed out originally in week 2), Article assessments video, Evolution of an article video


 * Wiki assignments (due week 11)
 * Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic. Please see syllabus for details on required documentation.

Week 11 (November 1): Getting and giving feedback

 * In class
 * As a group, have the students offer suggestions for improving articles, setting the example for what is expected from a solid encyclopedia article.


 * Wiki assignments (due week 12)
 * Peer review one of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the reviewed article.

Week 12 (November 8): Responding to feedback

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


 * Wiki assignments (due by week 16)
 * Make edits to your article based on peers' feedback.
 * For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence "hook," consider nominating it for "Did you know," and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors.
 * Consider nominating your article for Good Article status.


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

Weeks 13, 14, & 15 (November 15, 22, & 29): Working Days

 * Wiki assignments (due week 16)
 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. Try to address issues from Good Article reviews.
 * Prepare your Oral presentation about your topic and Wikipedia experience.

Week 16 (December 6): Due date
You made it!


 * Milestone
 * Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading
 * Students will give Oral presentations December 6th and 11th.

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