Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Political Participation (Tess Marchant-Shapiro)/Timeline

Week 1: Wikipedia Essentials

 * In class
 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Assignment 1 (due week 3)
 * Create a user account, user page, and sandbox

Week 3: Introduction to Wikipedia

 * Read: Welcome to Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wikimedia Foundation), Evaluating Wikipedia article quality brochure, Account and user page creation handout,
 * Due: Assignment 1
 * In class
 * Handouts and videos: Video on creating an account, Talk pages tutorial video,
 * Assignment 2 (due week 4):
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to one of the class's Online Ambassadors (via talk page), and leave a message for a classmate on their user talk 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.
 * Milestone:
 * All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 4: Using sources
Topic Selection
 * Due: Assignment 2
 * Read: Referencing handout, Plagiarism handout,
 * In class: Meet in Buley Library--we'll be looking for sources
 * Assignment 3 (due week 5)

Week 5: Writing with References
Writing with References
 * Due: Assignment 3
 * Read:  Referencing: Wikicode handout,  Citing sources tutorial video, RefToolbar citation tool tutorial video, Wikimarkup cheatsheet
 * In class
 * Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.
 * Assignment 4 (due week 6)
 * Select two classmates' articles that you will peer review and copy-edit.
 * 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.
 * 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.

Week 6: Moving into Main Space

 * Due 3 October: Assignment 4
 * 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
 * Handout: Moving into main space, Moving into main space, Submitting articles to Did You Know
 * Assignment 5 (Note that I am changing the due date to week 8)
 * Move sandbox articles into main space.
 * For new articles or qualifying expansions of stubs, compose a one-sentence "hook," nominate it for "Did you know," and monitor the nomination for any issues identified by other editors.
 * Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
 * Milestone
 * All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 8: Making it Beautiful

 * 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 3), Article assessments video, Evolution of an article video
 * Wiki Final Assignment (due week 14)
 * Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Weeks 9-14: Getting and giving feedback and Responding to feedback
Assignment: Write a reflective essay (2-5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
 * 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.
 * Peer review two of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
 * Make edits to your article based on peers' feedback.
 * Nominate your article for Good Article status.
 * Due: Final Edits (week 14)
 * Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
 * Milestones
 * All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.
 * Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading
 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. Try to address issues from Good Article reviews.

Week 15: Class presentations
You made it!
 * Due: Reflective essays
 * In class
 * Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.

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