Wikipedia talk:Education program archive/University of Southern Indiana/Introduction to Mass Communication (Fall 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: Welcome to Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wikimedia Foundation) and Using talk pages


 * Assignment (due week 2)
 * Start the online student orientation. During this training, you will create an account (make sure your email is enabled), add yourself to the course roster, make edits in your user editing space, send your instructor a message (see next instruction), and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
 * Leave a your instructor a message at his talk page and with a "new section" (see top menu). The title of the message will be your username (such as Bbsmith1). Your message will indicate that you have successfully created an account. Sign your message with four tildes, which also automatically time-date stamps your message!
 * Finally, sign into the course below.

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: Evaluating Wikipedia article quality, Wikimarkup cheatsheet
 * Assignments (due week 3)
 * Complete the online training for students.
 * If you haven't already done so in Week #1, create your 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
 * Evaluate the entry for Murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi
 * 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
 * Review the Infobox person for Bill Gates at the template instruction page
 * Handouts: “Referencing on Wikipedia” and “Understanding Wikipedia’s copyright policy”


 * Assignment (due week 5)
 * Edit the "infobox person" for your subject on your User page. The "perameters" section lists elements that are backed up with a mandatory citation (e.g., religion) to an appropriate source. Write down the citations for the other information you collect for your record as you will need that list when you begin to fill in the outline of your subject's article.


 * For next week
 * Evaluation of 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

 * 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 interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.


 * 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: 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 8)
 * Begin expanding your article into 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 8: 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 9)
 * 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 9: Responding to feedback

 * In class
 * Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.
 * How to submit your article to Articles for Creation (AfC) for evaluation


 * Assignments (due week 10)
 * Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.
 * Submit your article to Articles for Creation (AfC) for evaluation.

Week 10: Class presentations

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


 * Assignments (due week 11)
 * Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.
 * Write a reflective essay (2-5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.

Week 11-Week 15: Due date
You made it!


 * Assignments
 * Revise your article after you get feedback from AfC. Keep your instructor informed about your progress on his talk page. Resubmit it only after you have fixed point from feedback and your instructor has given you permission.


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