Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/American University/Understanding Media (Fall)
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- Course name
- Understanding Media
- Institution
- American University
- Instructor
- Ericka Menchen-Trevino
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Media Studies
- Course dates
- 2016-08-30 00:00:00 UTC – 2016-12-23 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 40
Media pervade our society and our lives. Television, music, social media, books, text messages, phone calls, movies and video games dominate our attention. Each of these media has a history, a technology, an industry, and a variety of impacts on individuals and societies. In this class we will learn to see the media world that surrounds us as an object of inquiry, not just a fact of life. Our textbook, “Converging Media” centers around the digital transformation that mass communication is undergoing. Once separate media industries, technologies and even media production and consumption are all blending together. The consequences of these shifts are constantly emerging and changing everything from our personal relationships, to our government, and our world. The goal of this course is to give students the tools they need to understand the contemporary media environment and shift toward more actively engaging with the media world we inhabit. To help achieve this goal the signature assignment of the course involves making your own productive contribution to one of the most popular websites in the world, Wikipedia.
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 30 August 2016 | Friday, 2 September 2016
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia project
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. This page is a supplement to the syllabus for the Wikipedia assignment, please make sure to follow the syllabus carefully in addition to info on this page.
This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.
Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
To get started, please review the following handouts:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Practicing the basics
- 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 or your professor or TA on that person's Talk page.
Complete on time for 5% of the assignment grade (13.75 points).
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account and complete the "practicing the basics" tutorials.
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 6 September 2016 | Friday, 9 September 2016
- Assignment - Critique an article
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
- Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
- Choose an article (anything is OK, but try to pick something that is not already excellent or clearly very limited, try to find something in-between), and consider some 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?
- 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 — Erickaakcire (talk) 13:24, 31 October 2017 (UTC).
Complete on time for 10% of the assignment grade (27.5 points).
- In class - Discussion
- What's a content gap?
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
- Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
- What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
- Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
- What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 13 September 2016 | Friday, 16 September 2016
- Assignment - Add to an article
You should add a small contribution to an article related to your class (anything about media, broadly conceived), or add a citation to a claim that doesn't have one.
- Complete the "Sources and Citations" training (linked below).
- The Citation Hunt tool can show you some statements that don't have citations. You can use that to find an article to reference.
- When you make a small claim, clearly state the fact in your own words, and then cite the source where you found the information.
Complete on time for 10% of the assignment grade, 27.5 points.
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 20 September 2016 | Friday, 23 September 2016
- In class - Discussion
- Thinking about sources and plagiarism
- Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
- What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
- What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
- What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?
- Milestones
This is a critical step in the assignment! There must be a content gap you can reasonably address in about 2-3 paragraphs.
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Choose 3–5 potential articles that you can tackle, and post links to them on your Wikipedia user page. For articles that already exist, check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians might be doing. Finally, present your choices to your instructor for feedback.
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 27 September 2016 | Friday, 30 September 2016
- Assignment - Finalize your topic / Find your sources
- On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic 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, too.
- 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.
- Assignment - Draft your article
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing. Start this week so your draft is ready for grading by Oct 7.
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
Complete on time for 20% of the assignment grade, 55 points.
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 4 October 2016 | Friday, 7 October 2016
- In class - Discussion
- Thinking about Wikipedia
- What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
- What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?
- On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?
- If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?
- 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 7
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 11 October 2016
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select a classmates’ article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the article that you want to review, and then assign it to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmate's draft. Leave suggestions 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?
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Tuesday, 18 October 2016 | Friday, 21 October 2016
- 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.
Complete on time for 10% of the grade for this assignment, 27.5 points.
- 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 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 25 October 2016 | Friday, 28 October 2016
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
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.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 1 November 2016 | Friday, 4 November 2016
- Assignment - Polish your work
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 8 November 2016 | Friday, 11 November 2016
- Assignment - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article.
- 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!
Complete on time for 25% of the assignment grade, 68.75 points.
- Assignment - Reflective essay
Write a reflective essay 3–5 pages on your Wikipedia contributions (double spaced, 12 point Arial font, Word or PDF format). Turn it in on Blackboard.
Indicate:
- What did you know about Wikipedia before taking this course?
- What did you learn about the process of writing for Wikipedia?
- Has this experience changed how you read Wikipedia articles?
- Do you plan to continue contributing to Wikipedia? Why or why not?
- Could the assignment be improved?
Review the evaluation guidelines on p. 8 of the syllabus for information on how this essay will be evaluated.
Complete on time for 20% of your assignment grade, 55 points.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 15 November 2016 | Friday, 18 November 2016
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.