Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Canisius College/EDU122 (Fall 2015)

Canisius EDU122

Module 2 Assignment: Wikipedia Project

Before you begin, please watch this short presentation: Don’t hate the Wikipedia because it doesn’t hate you. (https://docs.google.com/a/wikiedu.org/file/d/0B0A6uzmpSkt4RWYzNWcwTFU1cnM/edit)

Project: Contribute to the Canisius Wikipedia page and reflect on the use of Wikipedia in educational settings.


 * Part I: Account Creation
 * Part II: Register on the Course WikiEDU Page
 * Part III: Wikipedia Training for Students
 * Part IV: Editing the Canisius Wikipedia Page
 * Part V: Reflection
 * Evaluation Rubric

Week 1: Account Creation, Wikipedia Training & More Basics

 * Log in with your new Wikipedia account.
 * Complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
 * SKIM this training well. (I am not asking that you memorize it, but skim it well.)
 * At the end of the training, you are prompted to display the new badge on your ‘userpage’. Check to make it sure it is there.
 * Create a User page.
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to another student on their user talk page.
 * Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.
 * Review the Citing Sources handout.

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Resources: Online Training for Students Handouts: and


 * Userpage displays student training completion badge.

Week 2: Editing the Canisius Wikipedia Page

 * Canisius lacks a Campus section on its Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canisius_College). Example: Harvard’s Campus section (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_University#Campus).
 * Work with your group members to identify one building or location on campus to write about. If you chose a location, such as the Quad, each member would add in a point about areas or items found in the Quad. If you chose a building, each member would add in a different point about aspects of the building.
 * List your selection &amp; your group members on this spreadsheet. (THIS is how you will receive credit.) Again, no duplicates. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jLVgP0Efvhthe_VvJF_BpfT2UgDPuAbxSWTyv2SaoDM/edit#gid=0)
 * Highlight your username in this spreadsheet and make it a hyperlink to your ‘userpage’. (If you click on your account username at the top of Wikipedia when you are logged in, it will take your to your userpage.) Your userpage URL will look something like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Leahmacvie


 * Each member of the group will login to to Wikipedia and edit the Canisius Wikipedia page in order to: ** add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, about that location, OR ** to upload a photo that they took (it must be an original photo).
 * Then, work together as a group to format your section.
 * One thing you should ABSOLUTELY avoid: plagiarizing. In fact, every point/fact you add should have a high quality citation made in Wikipedia markup.
 * Don’t get angry if a WikiGnome comes along and edits your edits. Sometimes they even delete whole sections. This is how Wikipedia works! It is a collective, collaborative documentation space. I will still be able to see your contributions in the history of the page.
 * Tips! ** Lean on your group members. You may even want to get together to make these edits so that you can ask questions and learn from each other. ** Don’t forget that you must be logged in as you when you make your changes. Your username will appear in the Edit area or with the photo you have uploaded. *** Research this space on campus and find out some history about it. If needed, schedule an appointment with Kathleen DeLaney, Archivist. The College Archives, on the 2nd floor of the library, has the original history of the buildings and their locations on campus, and numerous resources that can help you develop an accurate description. You’ll learn how to properly cite the resources, too. (Archival resources are cited differently from other library materials).

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Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia

All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 3: Final Edits & Reflection

 * Expand your section into a complete first draft and make sure all relevant citations are included.

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Handouts: and


 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
 * Make sure your individual contribution is cited on the history tab of the page.

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Handout:


 * In your M2 Assessments folder in your Module 2 folder in your EDU122 folder, create a Doc and name it M2 Assignment.
 * Write a short (250-300 words) reflective essay on: ** your experience using Wikipedia, ** what did you learn about Wikipedia, ** how has, if at all, your relationship to Wikipedia changed as a result of this assignment, ** how do you think documenting information on Wikipedia is different than the way education documents history in textbooks, ** your thoughts on whose voice Wikipedia could represent vs. actually represents, and ** a detailed, step-by-step lesson where you could use Wikipedia in your own class.

Evaluation Rubric - please see your course syllabus for a complete assignment description.

Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

Learning objectives for this activity:

Writing Skills Development * Students write for a diverse and interested audience that represents a significant percentage of the worldwide online population. Students must learn to write with others, accept revisions, and implement feedback of their work. Furthermore, with Wikipedia’s emphasis on verifiability and “no original research,” students gain a greater understanding of the difference between fact-based and persuasive writing.

Media and Information Literacy * Wikipedia’s transparent and collaborative content development process allows students to gain a deeper understanding of how information is both produced and consumed. This provides an excellent opportunity for students to critically evaluate sources and their appropriate usage.

Critical Thinking and Research Skills * Students learn to critically analyze Wikipedia articles to determine how well the article covers the topic, and assess what information is missing. Your students learn how to locate and identify a variety of high quality sources. Assessing an article and deciding what information is missing is similar to the literature review process in scholarly research.

Collaboration * Students learn first-hand how to collaborate with a community of active volunteers (including their fellow students) while developing encyclopedic content. They often discuss their work with other editors, and negotiate to build consensus.

Online Communication Skills * Wiki software use is growing in both educational and corporate settings. Wikipedia assignments teach students how to use MediaWiki software. Students communicate on article and user Talk pages, developing skills and techniques appropriate for getting their message across to their intended audience.