Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/Oberlin College/Environment and Revolution in the Middle East (Spring 2015)/Timeline

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Week 1: Wikipedia essentials

 * In class
 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Handout: Editing Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wiki Education Foundation)

Week 5: Editing basics

 * In class
 * Basics of editing
 * Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
 * Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
 * Handouts: Using Talk Pages handout and Evaluating Wikipedia brochure


 * Assignments (due Week 6)
 * 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.
 * Create a User page, and and click the "enroll" button on the top left of this course page.
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to any Wikipedians helping your class (such as a Wikipedia Ambassador), and leave a message for a classmate on their user talk page.


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

Week 6: Exploring the topic area

 * In class
 * Handouts: Choosing an article and How to get help and Citing sources on Wikipedia and Avoiding plagiarism on Wikipedia


 * In class exercises
 * Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's 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 instructor for comment.
 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.


 * For next week
 * Instructor evaluates student's article selections, by week 7.

Week 7: Choosing articles

 * Before class
 * Discuss the range of topics in country teams that individual students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.


 * Assignments (due Week 7)
 * Identify the article you wish to write or the stub(s) you wish to expand
 * Prepare an individual PowerPoint presentation as part of your country team's presentation to the class

interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.
 * In class
 * Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
 * Q&A session with instructor and media assistant about

Week 9: Identifying Sources

 * In class
 * Begin to compile a bibliography of relevant research and start reading the sources.


 * Milestone
 * All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 10: Drafting Paragraphs

 * Assignments (due Week 10)
 * If you are starting a new article, write a paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, 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 other editors to polish your short starter article and fix any major issues.
 * Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.

Week 11: Moving articles to the main space

 * In class
 * Handout: Moving out of your sandbox


 * In class
 * 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.

Week 12: Building articles

 * Practice outside of class in teams
 * Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
 * Share experiences and discuss problems.
 * Handouts: “Uploading images” and “Evaluating Wikipedia article quality” (handed out originally in week 2)


 * Assignments (due Week 13)
 * Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 13: Getting and giving feedback

 * In class
 * 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.


 * Assignments (due Week 14)
 * Peer review one of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the reviewed articles.


 * Milestone
 * All articles have been reviewed by others. All students have reviewed articles by their classmates.

Week 14: Peer Review

 * In class
 * Students give in-class presentations about their experiences editing Wikipedia.


 * Assignments (due May 16)
 * Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
 * Write a reflective essay (3 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.

Week 15: Due date
You made it!


 * Milestone
 * Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading, and have submitted reflective essays.