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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Alaska Anchorage/ENGL A612 (Spring 2017)

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Course name
ENGL A612
Institution
University of Alaska Anchorage
Instructor
David Bowie
Wikipedia Expert
Adam (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Linguistics
Course dates
2017-01-17 00:00:00 UTC – 2017-05-05 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
5


Linguistics in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: An overview of the development of linguistics as a field, with a dual focus on its theoretical development and the interactions among the individuals who played significant roles.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Areece14 Communicative competence, Pragmatics
SMMAK709 Linguistic Imperialism, Suresh Canagarajah, Translanguaging
Juniper Branchflower Roy Harris (linguist)
Erflanders
Ken ENGL612

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Thursday, 19 January 2017
Introduction to the Wikipedia project

Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia-related assignments for your course.

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 a start on the process, I would suggest reviewing the following documents:

Week 2

Course meetings
Thursday, 26 January 2017
In class - Discussion
Thinking about Wikipedia

A few things to discuss in class:

  • 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?
  • What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
  • If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?

Week 3

Course meetings
Thursday, 2 February 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #1
The basics
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link available on the Blackbord site for the course.
  • 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!
  • When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 4

Course meetings
Thursday, 9 February 2017
In class - Discussion
What's a content gap?

As a sort of deep-end introduction to improving Wikipedia articles, a few things to consider for discussion in class, in preparation for selecting articles to write/improve:

  • 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 5

Course meetings
Thursday, 16 February 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #2 (part 1)
Choose possible topics
  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  • Review the online training modules linked below.
  • Choose 4–7 potential articles that you can tackle, and post links to them on your Wikipedia user page. (The sorts of topics you should look for will have been discussed in class before this comes due.) For articles that already exist, check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians might be doing.
  • Come prepared to discuss your potential articles in class.


In class - Discussion
Thinking about sources and plagiarism

A few topics for discussion in class:

  • What constitutes a good source for Wikipedia in general? What constitutes a good source for Wikipedia articles on topics in linguistics?
  • 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?

Week 6

Course meetings
Thursday, 23 February 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #2 (part 2)
Finalize your topic/Start to find your sources

As soon after the class discussion of articles as practical:

  • Go to your Students tab and assign your topic (as decided in class) to yourself.
  • Complete the training module linked below.
  • In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
    • Think back to the discussion of content gaps. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too.
    • Think about what drew you to this topic. What would you like to contribute to public knowledge about the subject?
    • 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 7

Course meetings
Thursday, 2 March 2017
Assignment - Expand your notes
  • Continue outlining your edits in your sandbox, as you move toward a full first draft.
  • Make sure to cite your sources as you go.
Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 8

Course meetings
Thursday, 9 March 2017
Assignment - Build a full first draft

You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start continue 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. Remember: 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 page 9 of Editing Wikipedia for more ideas.)

Improving an existing article?

  • Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Make concrete notes for improvement in your sandbox.

Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.

Resources:

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 9

Course meetings
Thursday, 23 March 2017
In class - Peer review assignments

In class this week, you will be assigned two of your fellow students’ articles to peer review.

Week 10

Course meetings
Thursday, 30 March 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #3
Peer review and copyedit

It’s time to go through peer review. It’s nearly never fun, but it makes things so much better!

  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  • Review the article draft by the two classmates you were assigned in class. To start this process, go to 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, focus on content, but don’t neglect copyediting: Make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Also, pay attention to the tone of the article: Is it encyclopedic?

Week 11

Course meetings
Thursday, 6 April 2017
Assignment - Continue improving your article

Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on peer review 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.


Assignment - Prepare for in-class presentation
  • Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Week 12

Course meetings
Thursday, 13 April 2017
In class - In-class presentation

You will, in class, present about your Wikipedia editing experience. Plan to take seven minutes, give or take a couple, plus some additional time for discussion. You should be prepared to show everyone your article draft on the projector, but you don’t need to prepare any other visuals or a handout, unless you really want to.

Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:

  • 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: Include information from previous in-class discussions. What did your peers recommend you change on your article, and how did you decide whether or not to implement those recommendations? What changes did you make in response to peer comments?
  • Feedback: Did you receive feedback from Wikipedia editors aside from your classmates, 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?


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 13

Course meetings
Thursday, 20 April 2017
Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia

Once you've made improvements to your article based on in-class discussions and any other 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 page 13 of Editing Wikipedia, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
  • You can also review the “Sandboxes and Mainspace” online training, linked below.

Week 14

Course meetings
Thursday, 27 April 2017
Assignment - Wiki assignment #4
Finalize your article

It's your final chance to develop your article!

  • Go to page 15 of Editing Wikipedia to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
  • Finish uploading your edits, as described in the milestone above.
  • Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Content Expert at any time!

Week 15

Course meetings
Thursday, 4 May 2017
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