Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Pennsylvania/Medical Missionaries to Community Partners (Fall 2015)

Global health is an often repeated goal for modern leaders of countries and non-governmental organizations. Despite its modernity, this goal has been elusive for more than 100 years and despite scientific advancement. Critics highlight language of a new imperialism through aid programs, exoticizing through medical tourism, and the reification of traditional social hierarchies. We will examine the evolution over time and place of people and programs to improve health of “underserved” populations globally. Traditionally categorized as public health programs and efforts to achieve a just society, we will develop an evaluation tool for past programs and conceptualize future partnerships on both a local and international stage. Students should expect to question broadly held beliefs about perceived good and service. Ultimately we will examine the concept of partnership and the notion of shared ownership, control, and goals between outside expert and inside community member. Students will be expected to develop a historical narrative regarding a medical missionary or concept in missionary medicine. At the end of the course, students should have an introductory view of fields that contribute to the conceptualization of health (history, anthropology, global politics, and biomedicine).

Week 1
  Overview of the course   Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course   Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette.  

Handout: Editing Wikipedia

Week 2
  Basics of editing   Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles   Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community </li> <li> Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments </li> </ul>

Handouts: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Using_talk_pages.pdf">Using Talk Pages</a>, <a href="http://wikiedu.org/evaluatingwikipedia">Evaluating Wikipedia</a>

<ul> <li> Create an account and then complete the online training for students. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia. </li> <li> Create a User page. </li> <li> To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page. </li> <li> 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. </li> </ul>

Resources: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Training/For_students">Online Training for Students</a>

All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

Week 3
<ul> <li> Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles in your topic area that are missing or could use improvement. </li> </ul>

Handouts: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Choosing_an_article.pdf">Choosing an article</a>

Week 4
<ul> <li> Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia. </li> </ul>

Handouts: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Citing_your_sources.pdf">Citing Sources</a> and <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avoiding_plagiarism.pdf">Avoiding Plagiarism</a>

<ul> <li> Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class. </li> </ul>

<ul> <li> Identify an article that would benefit from illustration, create or find an appropriate photo, illustration, or audio/video, and add it to the article.

<ul> <li> All media uploaded to Wikipedia must fall under a &quot;free license,&quot; which means they can be used or shared by anyone. Examples of media you can use are photos that you take yourself, images and text in the public domain, and works created by someone else who has given permission for their work to be used by others. For more information about which types of media can be uploaded to Wikipedia, see <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Help_desk">Commons:Help desk</a>. </li> <li> To add a media file to an article, you must first upload it to Wikimedia Commons. For instructions on how to upload files to Commons, refer to <a href="http://wikiedu.org/illustratingwikipedia"> Illustrating Wikipedia </a>. This brochure will also provide you with detailed information about which files are acceptable to upload to Wikipedia and the value of contributing media to Wikipedia articles. </li> </ul></li> </ul>

<ul> <li> Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. Describe your choices to your instructor for feedback. </li> </ul>

Week 5
<ul> <li> Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them. </li> </ul>

<ul> <li> Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your topic on the course page. </li> <li> Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography. </li> </ul>

Week 6
<ul> <li> Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them. </li> <li> Q&amp;A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing. </li> </ul>

<ul> <li> If you are starting a new article, write an outline of the topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia lead section of 3–4 paragraphs in your sandbox. Wikipedia articles use &quot;summary style&quot;, in which the lead section provides a balanced summary of the entire body of the article, with the first sentence serving to define the topic and place it in context. The lead section should summarize, very briefly, each of the main aspects of the topic that will be covered in detail in the rest of the article. If you are improving an existing article, draft a new lead section reflecting your proposed changes, and post this along with a brief description of your plans on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check that page often to gather any feedback the community might provide. </li> <li> Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your lead section and fix any major issues. </li> <li> Continue research in preparation for writing the body of the article. </li> </ul>

All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 7
<ul> <li> We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space. </li> <li> A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.

<ul> <li> Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed. </li> <li> Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know. </li> </ul></li> </ul>

Handout: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moving_out_of_your_sandbox.pdf">Moving out of your Sandbox</a>

<ul> <li> Move your sandbox articles into main space.

<ul> <li> If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article. </li> <li> If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow the instructions in the &quot;Moving out of your sandbox&quot; handout. </li> </ul></li> <li> Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic. </li> </ul>

Week 8
<ul> <li> Demo uploading images and adding images to articles. </li> <li> Share experiences and discuss problems. </li> </ul>

Resources: <a href="http://wikiedu.org/illustratingwikipedia">Illustrating Wikipedia</a> and <a href="http://wikiedu.org/evaluatingwikipedia">Evaluating Wikipedia</a>

<ul> <li> Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the articles you will peer review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.) </li> </ul>

Week 9
<ul> <li> Expand your article into a complete first draft. </li> </ul>

Week 10
<ul> <li> As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article. </li> </ul>

<ul> <li> Peer review two of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages. </li> <li> Copy-edit the two reviewed articles. </li> </ul>

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Week 11
<ul> <li> Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia. </li> </ul>

<ul> <li> Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit. </li> </ul>

Week 12
<ul> <li> Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week. </li> </ul>

<ul> <li> Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise. </li> <li> Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify. </li> </ul>

Week 13
<ul> <li> Add final touches to your Wikipedia article. </li> </ul>

Handout: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polishing_your_articles.pdf">Polishing your article</a>

<ul> <li> Put together a Wikipedia portfolio. </li> </ul>

Week 14
Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.