Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Webster University/Environmental Sustainability (Spring 2, 2018)

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Course name
Environmental Sustainability
Institution
Webster University
Instructor
Krista Durlas
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Environmental Sustainability
Course dates
2018-03-19 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-05-20 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
8


A primary goal of this course is to present opportunities to analyze specific environmental issues related to sustainability and to reflect upon how and to what extent society’s behaviors impact the problem and the potential for individual change and civic engagement. One assignment related to student research is to update the related Wikipedia page.

Student Assigned Reviewing
MAWebsterU Juicing List of Invasive Species in the Everglades
Ccheshj Waste-to-energy Waste-to-energy
Aborkowski45 Tropical rainforest conservation

Timeline

Week 1

Course meetings
Sunday, 25 March 2018
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. Follow all instructions on this site as well as those on the Course Project Page in the WorldClassRoom.


 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 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: 


Assignment - Get started on Wikipedia
  • Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. (To avoid hitting Wikipedia's account creation limits, this is best done outside of class. Only 6 new accounts may be created per day from the same IP address.)
  • 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 on that classmate’s Talk page.
Milestones

By Sunday of Week 1, everyone should have a Wikipedia account and should have completed the Wikipedia Essentials and Editing Basics training modules.

Week 2

Course meetings
Sunday, 1 April 2018
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.

  • Complete the "Evaluating Articles and Sources" training (linked below).
  • Create a section in your sandbox titled "Article evaluation" where you'll leave notes about your observations and learnings.
  • Choose an article on Wikipedia related to your course to read and evaluate. As you read, consider the following questions (but don't feel limited to these):
    • 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?
    • Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
    • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
    • Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
    • Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
    • Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
    • How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
    • How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
  • Optional: Choose at least 1 question relevant to the article you're evaluating and leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — ~~~~.
Assignment - Add to an Article

Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:


  • Add 1-2 sentences to any article that is related to something we read about or discussed in class so far, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
  •  The Citation Hunt tool shows unreferenced statements from articles. First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement. 
Milestones

By Sunday of Week 2, everyone should have a Wikipedia account and should have added a couple of sentences to an existing article and completed the Wikipedia Essentials and Editing Basics training modules.

Week 3

Course meetings
Sunday, 8 April 2018
Assignment - Choose your topic / Find your sources

Your instructor will email you a link to a Wikipedia Article related to your project to edit.  For the final outcome due in Week 7, you will be expected to:

a.      make improvements to at least four sections of the article
b.      add at least two images to your article

c.      link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles

d.      add at least four new sources to your article


For now in Week 3, 

  • Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
  •  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. 
Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Environmental Sciences

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

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts and completed training on Sandboxes and Mainspaces and Plagiarism by Sunday of Week 3.


Week 4

Course meetings
Sunday, 15 April 2018
Assignment - Continue improving your draft

Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article.


  • Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.  
  • Read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles. 
  •  Add at least two images 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. 
  •  If you'd like a Wikipedia Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes. 

Week 5

Course meetings
Sunday, 22 April 2018
Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
  • First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
  •  The instructor will email you the names of two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copy edit. On the Articles tab, find the articles for you to review. Then in the "My Articles" section of the Home tab, assign them to yourself to review. 
  •  Peer review your classmates' drafts. 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.


Week 6

Course meetings
Sunday, 29 April 2018
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 Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
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!
  • Be sure to copy text from your sandbox while the sandbox page is in 'Edit' mode. This ensures that the formatting is transferred correctly.

Creating a new article?

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 7

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!
Milestones

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.

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