Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Widener University/Public Policy (Spring 2020)

At any given time there is an enormous range of problems that government is addressing, could be addressing, or doesn’t even know about. When government does decide to address a problem, there are numerous potential solutions available to policy makers. Our task during this semester will be to make sense of how this whole (sometimes confusing) process works. The first half of the semester will be devoted to answering big questions about the system: “Why do some problems get addressed while others do not?” “Who influences the policymaking process?” “And what happens after Congress and the President agree on a policy?” We will spend the second half of the semester applying what we have learned about the process to specific areas of public policy that are of great concern to Americans.

Week 3
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.

Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.

Resources:


 * Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia

Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 4
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6

Week 7
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9

Biographies

History

Political Science

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 8
Guiding framework

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

Week 9
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.

Resources:


 * Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
 * Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.

Week 11
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the &quot;mainspace.&quot;

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13

Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.

Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!

Week 12
It's the final week to develop your article.


 * Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
 * Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Wikipedia Expert at any time!

Week 13
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.