Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/York University/Applied Plant Ecology (Winter)
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- Course name
- Applied Plant Ecology
- Institution
- York University
- Instructor
- Dawn Bazely
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Ecology
- Course dates
- 2020-01-06 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-04-22 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 46
BIOL/ENVS 4095.30 Applied Plant Ecology
Due date: Friday 29 Feb 2020 midnight. Extension to 16 March 2020
This is the last day of February. You can tweet me the link to the articles that you edits using hashtag #biol4095.
WRITING PROJECT: LEARN TO CREATE OPEN ACCESS WIKIPEDIA KNOWLEDGE
For 5% of your overall mark. (This document Created 8-1-2014, updated January 2016 & January 2020)
In this assignment, you will learn where web-based Wikipedia content comes from, and how to create web-based content yourself. You will also learn about Open Access, Metadata and discoverability.
I launched this assignment in 2014 with the help of Steacie Librarian, Mr. John Dupuis. I was inspired by the idea of the Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon projects aimed at getting more Wikipedia entries for Female Scientists (Twitter hashtag #WomenSciWP). Over the years, I have come to realize just what a useful exercise and project that this is for students!
Your task:
In this assignment, you will not be creating new Wikipedia pages, but rather adding to an existing page on an applied plant ecology topic of your choice. But it must be related to the list of student lectures that your groups will be giving in March.
For a handy online guide to Editing Wikipedia, see this excellent article by UofT graduate student, Ms. Farah Qaiser:
https://sisterstem.org/2019/03/07/wikipedia-editing/
Directions:
First, make a Wikipedia account. Please DO NOT use your real name for this and choose a username that is a pen-name of some kind. You could choose a username that is the Latin genus name of your favourite plant, tree, flower or fungus!
Next, find a relevant Wikipedia page that you will edit and improve and expand its content.
Next list the Wikipedia page name (title), and its URL link on the Moodle forum for the Wikipedia assignment that I will make for the course in the Introduction section near the Google calendar. Please also list your Wikipedia username. This allows me to view and review your edits and additions when I am in Wikipedia as an editor.
Please improve the page with a minimum of 250 words of text for which every statement must be backed up by a 3rd party reference. The assignment will include the name of the person, their Wikipedia page link, the new text and all of the references to back up what you say about the person’s life, research and significance.
During the class on Friday 24th January, 2020, I will introduce you to some Wikipedia editing basics.
Timeline
Week 8
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 26 February 2020 | Friday, 28 February 2020
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
Welcome to your Wikipedia assignment's course timeline. This page guides you through the steps you'll need to complete for your Wikipedia assignment, with links to training modules and your classmates' work spaces.
Your course has been assigned a Wikipedia Expert. You can reach them through the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (Because of Wikipedia's technical restraints, you may receive a message that you cannot create an account. To resolve this, please try again off campus or the next day.)
- Assignment - Wikipedia assignment blog
Some students already chose to write about a post at our course blog about your experience learning to become a Wikipedian. One of your open book final exam questions will be for everyone to go back to the page(s) that you edited for your Original Wikipedia assignment, and to add 5 references to the list, plus to write a blog post about what you have learned about being a Wikipedian. If you already wrote a blog post, you will write a second post -- kind of like a before and after doing the WikiEdu training modules, which are much more comprehensive than what I covered in lecture. Prof. Bazely
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 2 March 2020 | Wednesday, 4 March 2020 | Friday, 6 March 2020
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
- In class - Discussion
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 9 March 2020 | Wednesday, 11 March 2020 | Friday, 13 March 2020
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
- You already did this, now do the training!
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
- In class - Discussion
Week 11
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 16 March 2020 | Wednesday, 18 March 2020 | Friday, 20 March 2020
- Assignment - Add additional 5 citations to the article(s) that you already edited
If you already added all the citations and references you could find, then add 5 to another Plant Ecology Wikipedia article
- Assignment - Exercise
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have questions using the Get Help button at the top of this page.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 23 March 2020 | Wednesday, 25 March 2020 | Friday, 27 March 2020
- Assignment - Peer review an article
- In class - Discussion - we covered this in class, but please do the training module
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, decide whether it makes your work more accurate and complete, and edit your draft to make those changes.
Resources:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
Week 13
- Course meetings
-
- Monday, 30 March 2020 | Wednesday, 1 April 2020 | Friday, 3 April 2020
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
Now that you've improved your draft based on others' feedback, it's time to move your work live - to the "mainspace."
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
- Assignment - Optional Exercise
Week 14
- Course meetings
-
- Friday, 10 April 2020
- Assignment - Continue improving your article
Now's the time to revisit your text and refine your work. You may do more research and find missing information; rewrite the lead section to represent all major points; reorganize the text to communicate the information better; or add images and other media.
- 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 Wikipedia Expert at any time if you need further help!
Week 15
- Course meetings
-
- Friday, 17 April 2020
- 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 Wikipedia Expert at any time!
- Assignment - Reflective essay - one of your final exam questions -- 500 words
Please add a 6th blog post to our website for this mandatory final exam question
Week 16
- Course meetings
-
- Wednesday, 22 April 2020
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.