Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/University of Oklahoma/HSCI 3463: Cold War Science (Spring 2014)/Timeline

Timeline
Assignment #1: The information available online about Cold War Science is problematic at best. For this paper alternative you may write a Wikipedia article on a topic covered in or connected to class material, or edit an existing Wikipedia article. The assignment is in two parts, To receive credit equivalent to Research Essay #1 you are expected to: (1) establish a Wikipedia account at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Main+Page&type=signup (2) join the course at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Program:University_of_Oklahoma/HSCI_3463:_Cold_War_Science_%28Spring_2014%29 (3) complete tutorials for weeks (1) - (5) at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Program:University_of_Oklahoma/HSCI_3463:_Cold_War_Science_(Spring_2014) (4) select a topic and begin to identify sources you will use in your article/edit, as part of the work for the week (5) tutorial. (5) Submit an annotated bibliography of at least six books or journal articles, with a one paragraph explanation of how you will use each source in your article/edit. Submit this as an email attachment or active link to both Instructors by the deadline for Research Essay#1.

When you begin to think of picking an article, here is a link to the WikiProjects History of Science Page. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_History_of_Science) You may navigate this page to look for articles that need work.

Something else to look for is the well written pages and the groups to which they belong. For instance, Vannevar Bush's page is connected to the Manhattan Project people link. This will connect you to all of the specific pages and you can determine whether or not they are in need of editing.

Completing this assignment in place of Research Essay #1 does not commit you to continue for Research Essay #2. You may continue with the Wikipedia work or you may select any of the topics from the essay list.

Week 1: 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 week 2)
 * 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.



Week 2: 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 (due week 3)
 * 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.



Week 3: Exploring the topic area

 * In class
 * Handouts: Advice for choosing articles and How to get help
 * Assignments (due week 4):
 * 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.

Week 4: Using sources

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


 * Assignment (due week 5)
 * 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 5.

Week 5: Choosing articles

 * In class
 * Discuss the range of topics students will be working on and strategies for researching and writing about them.


 * Assignments (due week 6)
 * 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 and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources.

Week 6: Drafting starter articles
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/or Wikipedia Ambassadors about


 * Assignments (due week 7)
 * 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.
 * 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.


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



Week 7: Moving articles to the main space

 * In class
 * Handout: Moving out of your sandbox


 * Assignments (due week 8)
 * 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 8: Building articles

 * Workshop in class or outside of class
 * 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 9)
 * Expand your article into an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of the topic.
 * Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copy-edit. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)

Week 9: 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 10)
 * 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.



Week 10: Responding to feedback
and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.
 * In class
 * Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy,


 * Assignments (due week 11)
 * Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 11: Class presentations

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


 * Assignments (due week 12)
 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
 * Write a reflective essay (2-5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.

Week 12: 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.



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