Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/Louisiana State University/HNRS 1035: Natural Disturbances & Society (Fall 2013)/Timeline

September 3, 2013: 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)


 * Assignment (due September 3)
 * Start the online student orientation. During this training, you will create an account, make edits in a sandbox, and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.

Editing basics

 * Handouts: Using talk pages, Evaluating Wikipedia article quality, Wikimarkup cheatsheet


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

Exploring the topic area

 * Handouts: Advice for choosing articles and How to get help
 * Assignments (due September 17):
 * Submit a proposal for your Wikipedia contribution.
 * Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Ask your instructor and classmates for comment.
 * Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. Add your article to the class’s course page.
 * Compile a bibliography of relevant research. Begin reading the sources.

Using sources

 * Handouts: “Referencing on Wikipedia” and “Understanding Wikipedia’s copyright policy”


 * Assignment
 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.

October 8, 2013: Draft of Contribution

 * Assignments (due October 8)
 * Draft Wikipedia contribution due in sandbox.
 * Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your short starter article and fix any major issues.
 * Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.

October 17, 2013: Wikipedia essentials

 * Peer review two of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
 * Offer suggestion for improving your partner's articles.
 * Suggestions should be incorporated to improve the draft and post by October 24.
 * Milestone
 * All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.
 * All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

November 12, 2013: Moving articles to the main space

 * In class
 * Handout: Moving out of your sandbox


 * Assignments (due November 12)
 * Move sandbox articles into main space.
 * Optional: 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.

After November 12, 2013: Responding to feedback
and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.
 * In class
 * Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy,


 * Assignments (due December 3, 2013)
 * Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

December 5, 2013: Class presentations

 * In class
 * We will discuss the experience and outcomes of Wikipedia contribution.


 * Assignments (due December 5, 2013)
 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
 * Write a reflective essay (2-5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.

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