Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Newberry/Azaleas of North America (Spring 2017)
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- Course name
- Azaleas of North America
- Institution
- Newberry
- Instructor
- Charles N. Horn
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Plant Biology
- Course dates
- 2017-01-30 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-05-05 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 1
This is the home page for the Wikipedia research project on Azaleas this term.
| Student | Assigned | Reviewing |
|---|---|---|
| Cassidyrg | Azaleas of North America |
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 30 January 2017
- Introduction to the Wikipedia project
Welcome to your Wikipedia project timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for the semester.
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 - Create your account & take introductory trainings
- 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! These trainings are required for your course.
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 February 2017
- 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).
- Review the Wikipedia article for Rhododendron arborescens and the general article about Azaleas on Wikipedia.
- While you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
- What sections are included in the articles? For your article improvement later this term, you'll want to know what 1-3 sections are needed in each article improvement.
- 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?
- Create a section in your sandbox for your article critique. You'll use the sandbox throughout the term to help you draft your work.
- Choose at least 1 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 — Cassidyrg (talk) 23:28, 13 February 2017 (UTC).
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 February 2017
- Assignment - 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.
- This semester, you're being asked to update the list of species on the Rhododendron sect. Pentanthera page on Wikipedia. To start, assign yourself this article on the Students tab above next to your name. Each new article you work on throughout the term, go back there and assign yourself the new article. You can work on as many articles as you want.
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article and the sub-articles. Which sub-species listed there are red links? Which are short and need improvement? How many do you want to work on this term? Which are of "high importance" or have the most citations and research available about them?
- Think back to when you did an article critique. What sections, citations, or images can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page.
- Start compiling 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 4
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 20 February 2017
- Assignment - Start drafting your work
Now it's time to start writing. For each article you plan to work on, create a subsection in your sandbox where you can draft your work. It's okay to not work on them all at once, you can walk through the following steps for each individual article as you're ready.
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.
Don't forget to keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the articles.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 27 February 2017
- Assignment - Continue expanding your drafts
- Keep working on transforming your articles drafts. If you want, you can start making small changes "live" on Wikipedia - try copyediting one of the existing articles or making another small change to help get yourself comfortable with the editing process.
- If you'd like a Content Expert to review your drafts, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 6 March 2017
- Assignment - Instructor review
This week, talk with Dr. Horn about your drafts. Have him read and review and leave you comments for improvement. He can leave comments for you on the "talk" page of your sandbox space.
After you receive his notes:
- Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
- Return to your drafts and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing.
- Reach out to your Content Expert if you have any specific questions about the Wikipedia guidelines.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 13 March 2017
- Assignment - Continue to expand your drafts
You should be almost ready to move one or more of your drafts live! Work with Dr. Horn or your Wikipedia content expert if you have questions.
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 20 March 2017
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Once you've made improvements to your article based on 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
-
- Monday, 27 March 2017
- Assignment - Illustrate one or more of your articles
You'll want to find or create an appropriate photo, illustration, or piece of video/audio to add to the articles you've improved.
- 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.
- 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 on search.creativecommons.org.
- If you want to upload some of Dr. Horns imgaes, 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.
- Try to add one good image to each article you've expanded.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 3 April 2017
- Assignment - Continue improving your articles
For the articles you've already moved live, do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.
If you haven't moved some of your drafts live yet, now's your chance!
For the live articles, 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 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 10 April 2017
- Assignment - Polish your work
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your articles to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 17 April 2017
- Assignment - Final articles
It's the final week to develop your articles.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your project.
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Content Expert at any time!
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 24 April 2017
- Assignment - Reflective essay
Write a reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.
Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:
- Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article?
- Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions?
- Peer Review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article?
- Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback?
- Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.