Week 8 (10/20 - 10/26)
Meetings: Wednesday (10/23)Introduction to the Wikipedia assignment
In ClassWelcome 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
Get started on Wikipedia
AssignmentCreate an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
If you have trouble creating a Wikipedia account, consult this FAQ.
Everyone has a Wikipedia account
Milestone
Week 9 (10/27 - 11/02)
Meetings: Wednesday (10/30), Friday (11/01)Evaluate Wikipedia
Assignment -Due: 2024-11-01
Exercise
Evaluate WikipediaDue on Nov 1st View This exercise asks you to find an existing Wikipedia article and evaluate. Choose an article that covers a single species of plant (fungi or green algae would also be appropriate). Some ideas might be: plants that are important for human food, clothing, art, ritual, medicine, or to your personal life. Check the WikiProject Plants page for articles that could use quality improvements ("Stub" or "Start" articles are a good choice).
Choose possible topics
AssignmentTraining
Finding your article Start Exercise
Find potential articlesDue on Nov 2nd View Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
Week 10 (11/03 - 11/09)
Meetings: Monday (11/04), Wednesday (11/06), Friday (11/08)Finalize your topic and find sources
AssignmentBuilding your bibliographyDue on Nov 9th View Don't assign yourself an article until you have heard from me about your potential articles.
Make a small edit
Assignment
Week 11 (11/10 - 11/16)
Meetings: Monday (11/11), Wednesday (11/13), Friday (11/15)Guide for writing articles about species
Start editing your article
Assignment -Due: 2024-11-22
Update, edit, and add to your article using your BI 240 knowledge and literature search skills! You might choose to add information about your species' life cycle, pollination/dispersal, anatomy, habitat adaptations, or connection to human culture.
Refer to the "Wikipedia Project Assessment" document (on Blackboard) for detailed descriptions of what I expect for your contributions. Refer to the Peer Review Guiding Principles (under Week 12) for a preview of how your classmates will review your article.
The first draft due date is a hard deadline, in order to give your classmates time to complete a peer review of your contributions. Your first draft doesn't have to be perfect (bullet points are okay), but it should have any new sections outlined and most of the information and citations that you're adding filled in.
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
Everyone has started writing
Milestone
Week 12 (11/17 - 11/23)
Meetings: Monday (11/18), Wednesday (11/20), Friday (11/22)Peer review an article
Assignment -Due: 2024-11-25
The peer review deadline is a hard deadline, to give your classmates enough time to incorporate your critiques and suggestions.
Week 13 (11/24 - 11/30)
Meetings: Monday (11/25)Peer reviews are complete
MilestoneEvery student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Respond to your peer review
AssignmentYou probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. Consider their suggestions, look for ways to make your work more accurate and complete, and edit your work to make those changes.
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 12 and 14
- Reach out to your Wikipedia Expert if you have any questions.
Resources:
Week 14 (12/01 - 12/06)
Meetings: Monday (12/02), Wednesday (12/04), Friday (12/06)Publishing a new article (if applicable)
AssignmentIf you're creating a new article, it's time to take the step of making it live. (If you're working on an existing article, you've already been publishing changes to the live article and this step won't be needed.) Consult the Moving to Mainspace training for additional guidance.
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 13
Demo: publishing a new article
Final article
Assignment -Due: 2024-12-06
This is the deadline to develop your article for this course. After this date, do not make any more edits (even just for your own pleasure) until after the semester ends.
- Read the Wikipedia Project Assessment document (on Blackboard) to ensure you have completed the requirements for your desired grade.
- Review 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!
You've finished your Wikipedia assignment!
MilestoneEveryone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.