Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Intro to Mass Communication (Chad Tew)/Timeline

Week 1: 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)
 * Read Five pillars, an explanation of Wikipedia's basic rules and principles

Week 2: Exploring the topic area, Using sources, and Choosing articles

 * In class
 * Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.
 * Handouts and videos: Referencing handout, Referencing: Wikicode handout, Plagiarism handout, Citing sources tutorial video, RefToolbar citation tool tutorial video

Week 3 & 4: Editing basics and Drafting starter articles

 * 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 this and this for example assignments.)

Milestone:
 * Create a Wikipedia account, create a user page, and sign up on the list of students on the course page.
 * All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.


 * 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 5)
 * If you are starting a new article, write a summary version of your article (with citations) in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, write a summary 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.


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

Week 5: Building articles

 * In class
 * Handout: Moving into main space,


 * Wiki assignments (due week 6)
 * Move sandbox articles into main space.
 * Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.


 * In class or outside of class
 * Campus Ambassadors lead Wikipedia lab/workshop, covering:
 * Article ratings on Wikipedia & how to get there
 * 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

Week 6 & 7: 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.


 * Wiki assignments (due week 6)
 * Peer review two of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.


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


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


 * Wiki assignments (due week 7)
 * Make edits to your article based on peers' feedback.
 * Nominate your article for Good Article status.
 * Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 8: Due date
You made it!


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

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