Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/University of Alberta Augustana Faculty/Psychology of Language (Fall 2013)/Timeline

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 Sep 12)
 * 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

 * 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, Evaluating Wikipedia article quality, Wikimarkup cheatsheet
 * Assignments (the sooner the better!)
 * Complete the online training for students.
 * Create a user page, and sign up on the list of students on the 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.

Exploring the topic area

 * In class
 * Handouts: Advice for choosing articles and How to get help
 * Assignments (Sep 19):
 * Critically evaluate an existing Wikipedia article related to the class, and choose which article(s) you intend to work on.
 * 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. Once you have received feedback, add your article to the class’s course page.

Using sources

 * Assignment (Sept 26)
 * Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.


 * Assignments (Oct 22)
 * Compile a bibliography of relevant research and post it to the talk page of the article(s) you are working on. Begin reading the sources.

Drafting starter articles

 * Assignments (by Nov 1)
 * If you are starting a new article, write a 3–4 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.
 * Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.


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

Moving articles to the main space

 * Handout: Moving out of your sandbox


 * Assignments (by Nov 8)
 * Move sandbox article(s) 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.

Building articles

 * Handouts: “Uploading images” and “Evaluating Wikipedia article quality” (handed out originally in week 2)

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 Nov 15)
 * Peer review two of your classmates' articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
 * Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.


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

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


 * Assignments
 * Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback.

Complete Final Editing (due Nov 21)
You made it!


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


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

Class presentations (due Nov 26)

 * In class
 * Students give in-class presentations about their experiences writing for the public on Wikipedia.

Marentette (talk) 20:18, 2 September 2013 (UTC)

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