Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/Peer to Peer University/Writing Wikipedia Articles (3-2013)/Course description

This free, facilitated course runs for six weeks, starting Tuesday, August xx. Online class time is in the morning (Americas) or afternoon/evening (Europe/Africa). We will also have optional lab sessions at the same time of day on Fridays. To sign up:


 * create a Wikipedia account
 * click "Enroll" above, entering the token WIKISOO
 * Submit this survey

You will not need to return to this page often; the main home page for the course is available in these ways:


 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:School_of_Open_course
 * Within Wikipedia, you can enter this shortcut in the search bar to get there: WP:WIKISOO

Course overview
If you can read Wikipedia, you can learn to build it! In this course, you will learn about the software, the rules, and the cultural values that drive and support this ubiquitous and community-built online encyclopedia. We will focus on articles about openness in education: open educational resources, MOOCs, Creative Commons licenses, and related topics.

While writing and editing articles, students will learn about the values and culture that have driven hundreds of thousands of volunteers to build Wikipedia, which in its 12 year history has generated millions of free articles in hundreds of languages. We will cover the technical skills needed to edit articles, as well as sharing practical insights into the site's collaborative norms and social dynamics. Students will gain confidence in taking on technical challenges and editorial disagreements. If you join us, you will graduate with an ability to compose useful articles, and a sophisticated understanding of how Wikipedia works, and how to search and read it.

Your weekly assignments will guide you to:


 * Learn the Five Pillars (core policies) of Wikipedia
 * Review a Wikipedia article and post suggestions for improvement on its talk page
 * Join a WikiProject, where you can find other Wikipedia contributors who share your interests
 * Participate in a decision (for instance: an article peer review, an article deletion decision, a new policy or software feature)

Students who successfully complete the course and the final project will earn the WIKISOO Burba Badge.

Target learner
Anyone who wishes to learn to edit Wikipedia, or to improve their editing skills. Content will be tailored to those interested in and knowledgeable about open educational resources (OER). (No background in OER is required.)

([ Click to return to your main course page and continue.])