Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Calgary/Introductory Geology (Fall 2017)
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- Course name
- Introductory Geology
- Institution
- University of Calgary
- Instructor
- Glenn Dolphin
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Geology
- Course dates
- 2017-09-12 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-12-07 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 220
Using the history of geology to introduce students to some of the very fundamental concepts in geology. We will follow the development of some basic ideas in geology, such as the earth having a history, that history being very, very long, and the earth is a complex and dynamic system. We will also use the (her)histories to develop a more useful understanding of the nature of science..
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 12 September 2017 | Thursday, 14 September 2017
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 19 September 2017 | Thursday, 21 September 2017
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 26 September 2017 | Thursday, 28 September 2017
- Assignment - Practicing the basics & Wikipedia trainings
- Individually, create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
- It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade.
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate in your group on that classmate’s Talk page.
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 3 October 2017 | Thursday, 5 October 2017
- Assignment - Group project...
There are four different kinds of opportunities for impacting a Wiki article.
- Critique an article
- Copyedit an article
- Illustrate an article
- Add to an article
Choose ONLY ONE of these to do with your group over the next two weeks. Be sure to utilize the training modules and the support that comes with the Wiki site.
Have fun with it and be bold.
- Assignment - Critique an article
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. As a group, you'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
Nominate someone in your group and take notes about your critique in theirsandbox. You can use these notes for next weeks editing assignment, or select a new article to edit.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- As a group, select the article you want to work on. Make sure no other groups in the class are working on your same topic. To review articles already selected, visit the Articles tab above.
- Each group member should visit the Students tab above and assign themselves your article topic.
- While you read your article, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
- Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
- Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
- Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
- Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
- Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
- Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
- Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
- Check the "talk" page of the article. What conversations are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this issue on Wikipedia?
- Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — Aman.minhas12345 (talk) 19:13, 18 December 2017 (UTC).
- Assignment - Copyedit an article
- As a group, select the article you want to work on. Make sure no other groups in the class are working on your same topic. To review articles already selected, visit the Articles tab above.
- Each group member should visit the Students tab above and assign themselves your article topic.
- Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article.
- Assignment - Illustrate an article
You'll want to find or create an appropriate photo, illustration, or piece of video/audio to add to an article.
- Before you start, review the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook, or see Editing Wikipedia pages 10–11.
- When you've reviewed those pages, take the training linked below.
- As a group, select the article you want to work on. Make sure no other groups in the class are working on your same topic. To review articles already selected, visit the Articles tab above.
- Each group member should visit the Students tab above and assign themselves your article topic.
- When you're ready to start finding images, remember: Never grab images you find through an image search, or those found on Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, Imgur, or even so-called "Free image" or "free stock photo" websites. Instead, you'll want to find images with clear proof that the creator has given permission to use their work. Many of these images can be found onsearch.creativecommons.org.
- Don't just upload an image to Wikipedia. Instead, upload it to Wikipedia's sister site for images, Wikimedia Commons. For instructions, read through the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook.
- Assignment - Add to an article
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article.
- As a group, select the article you want to work on. Make sure no other groups in the class are working on your same topic. To review articles already selected, visit the Articles tab above.
- Each group member should visit the Students tab above and assign themselves your article topic.
- Review the article, thinking about one or two areas that you could make an improvement.
- As a group, add 1-2 sentences of new information to your article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 10 October 2017 | Thursday, 12 October 2017
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 17 October 2017 | Thursday, 19 October 2017
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 24 October 2017 | Thursday, 26 October 2017
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 31 October 2017 | Thursday, 2 November 2017
- Assignment - Individual Project
- Choose your topic / Find your sources
It's time to choose an article and assign it to yourself.
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Find an article from the list of "Available Articles" on the Articles tab on this course page. When you find the one you want to work on, click Select to assign it to yourself.
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
- Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page.
- Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.
Week 9
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 7 November 2017 | Thursday, 9 November 2017
- Assignment - Draft your article
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
Creating a new article?
- Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox.
- A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.
Improving an existing article?
- Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox.
Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
Week 10
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 14 November 2017 | Thursday, 16 November 2017
- Assignment - Expand your draft
- Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
- If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
Week 11
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 21 November 2017 | Thursday, 23 November 2017
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review, and then assign them to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
- As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
- Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
- Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions.
Week 12
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 28 November 2017 | Thursday, 30 November 2017
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace."
Editing an existing article?
- NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
- Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!
Creating a new article?
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
Week 13
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 5 December 2017 | Thursday, 7 December 2017
- In class - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article.
Before you're finished
Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles.
- Consider adding an image to your article. Wikipedia has strict rules about what media can be added, so make sure to take Contributing Images and Media Files training before you upload an image.
Once you think you're done
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Content Expert at any time!
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.