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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Chicago/Topics in Organismal Biology (Winter Quarter 2018)

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Course name
Topics in Organismal Biology
Institution
University of Chicago
Instructor
Urs Schmidt-Ott
Wikipedia Expert
Ian (Wiki Ed)
Subject
Locomotion
Course dates
2018-01-10 00:00:00 UTC – 2018-03-16 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors


The course is designed for 1st and 2nd year graduate students in Integrative Biology. Course instructors include expert in neurobiology, developmental biology, systematics, paleontology, and biomechanics. They will share their perspective on sensory systems in organismal biology. The 1st year students are asked to write 2 papers on subjects that fit the theme of the course and will be asked to share the result of their background studies on Wikipedia.

Student Assigned Reviewing
Stephaniesang Pelvic fin
Kwhitlow92 Fish jaw
Ross0824
Jdlc700 Stingray

Timeline

Week 2

Course meetings
Wednesday, 17 January 2018
In class - Wikipedia essentials
  • Overview of the course
  • Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
  • Understanding Wikipedia as a community, we'll discuss its expectations and etiquette.
In class - Editing basics
  • Basics of editing
  • Anatomy of Wikipedia articles, what makes a good article, how to distinguish between good and bad articles
  • Collaborating and engaging with the Wiki editing community
  • Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments



Assignment - Practicing the basics
  • Create an account and join this course page.
  • Complete the introductory training modules. During this training, you will make edits in a sandbox and learn the basic rules of Wikipedia.
  • Create a User page.
  • To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself on the user talk page of one of your classmates, who should also be enrolled in the table at the bottom of the page.
  • We also introduce Intertwine, a video conferencing tool where you can will create your own User page and User Talk Page with peer editors enrolled in other courses. Sign up for a sessionhere or using the Intertwine training module below. 
  • Explore topics related to your topic area to get a feel for how Wikipedia is organized. What areas seem to be missing? As you explore, make a mental note of articles that seem like good candidates for improvement.
Milestones

All students have Wikipedia user accounts and are listed on the course page.

In class - Exploring the topic area
  • Be prepared to discuss some of your observations about Wikipedia articles in your topic area that are missing or could use improvement.


Handouts: Choosing an article

Week 3

Course meetings
Monday, 22 January 2018   |   Wednesday, 24 January 2018
In class - Using sources
  • Be prepared to explain close paraphrasing, plagiarism, and copyright violations on Wikipedia.


Handouts: Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism


Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/sources|Sources and Citations]]


Assignment - Editing Medical & Psychology topics

Review Wikipedia's rules for topics related to medicine, human health, and psychology.

Assignment - Add to an article
  • Add 1–2 sentences of new information, backed up with a citation to an appropriate source, to a Wikipedia article related to the class.


Assignment - Choosing your article
  • Research and list 3–5 articles on your Wikipedia user page that you will consider working on as your main project. Look at the talk page for existing topics for a sense of who else is working on it and what they're doing. Describe your choices to your instructor for feedback.


In class - Discuss the article topics
  • Discuss the topics students will be working on, and determine strategies for researching and writing about them.


Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]]


Assignment - Finalize your topic and start researching
  • Select an article to work on, removing the rest from your user page. 
  • Once you pick your topic, make sure to assign it to yourself on the Students tab above. 
  • Compile a bibliography of relevant, reliable sources and post it to the talk page of the article you are working on. Begin reading the sources. Make sure to check in on the talk page (or watchlist) to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography.


Assignment - Drafting starter articles
  • If you are starting a new article, write a 3–4 paragraph summary version of your article—with citations—in your Wikipedia sandbox. If you are improving an existing article, create a detailed outline reflecting your proposed changes, and post this for community feedback, along with a brief description of your plans, on the article’s talk page. Make sure to check back on the talk page often and engage with any responses.
  • Begin working with classmates and other editors to polish your short starter article and fix any major issues.
  • Continue research in preparation for expanding your article.

Week 4

Course meetings
Monday, 29 January 2018   |   Wednesday, 31 January 2018
In class - Wikipedia culture and etiquette
  • Talk about Wikipedia culture and etiquette, and (optionally) revisit the concept of sandboxes and how to use them.
  • Q&A session with instructor about interacting on Wikipedia and getting started with writing.
  • Again, we introduce Intertwine,  a video conferencing tool where you will do an hour-long edit-a-thon to improve a fun Wikipedia article with peer editors enrolled in other courses. Sign up for a session here using the Intertwine training module below. 
Milestones

All students have started editing articles or drafts on Wikipedia.

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 5 February 2018   |   Wednesday, 7 February 2018
In class - Moving articles to mainspace
  • We'll discuss moving your article out of your sandboxes and into Wikipedia's main space.
  • A general reminder: Don't panic if your contribution disappears, and don't try to force it back in.
    • Check to see if there is an explanation of the edit on the article's talk page. If not, (politely) ask why it was removed.
    • Contact your instructor or Wikipedia Content Expert and let them know.


Handout: Moving out of your Sandbox


Assignment - Moving articles to mainspace
  • Move your sandbox articles into main space.
    • If you are expanding an existing article, copy your edit into the article. If you are making many small edits, save after each edit before you make the next one. Do NOT paste over the entire existing article, or large sections of the existing article.
    • If you are creating a new article, do NOT copy and paste your text, or there will be no record of your work history. Follow the instructions in the "Moving out of your sandbox" handout.
  • Begin expanding your article into a comprehensive treatment of the topic.

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 12 February 2018   |   Wednesday, 14 February 2018
In class - Building articles
  • Demo uploading images and adding images to articles.
  • Share experiences and discuss problems.


Resources: Illustrating Wikipedia and Evaluating Wikipedia


Assignment - Choose articles to peer review
  • Select two classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the table at the bottom of this course page, add your username next to the articles you will peer review. (You don’t need to start reviewing yet.)


Assignment - Complete first draft
  • Expand your article into a complete first draft.

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 19 February 2018   |   Wednesday, 21 February 2018
In class - Group suggestions
  • As a group, offer suggestions for improving one or two other students' articles, based on your ideas of what makes a solid encyclopedia article.


Supplementary training: [[../../../training/students/peer-review|Peer Review]]


Assignment - Peer review and copyedit
  • Peer review two of your classmates’ articles. Leave suggestions on the article talk pages.
  • Copy-edit the two reviewed articles.
  • Not only your classmates, but also a broader group of Wikipedia student editors can benefit from peer review! Here, we introduce Intertwine one more time. You will do an hour-long peer review session with peers from other courses. Sign up for a sessionhere using the Intertwine training module below. 
Milestones

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.


In class - Media literacy discussion
  • Open discussion of the concepts of neutrality, media literacy, and the impact and limits of Wikipedia.


Assignment - Address peer review suggestions
  • Make edits to your article based on peers’ feedback. If you disagree with a suggestion, use talk pages to politely discuss and come to a consensus on your edit.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 26 February 2018   |   Wednesday, 28 February 2018
In class - Discuss further article improvements
  • Continue discussing how the articles can be further improved. Come up with improvement goals for each article for next week.


Assignment - Continue improving articles
  • Return to your classmates' articles you previously reviewed, and provide more suggestions for further improvement. If there is a disagreement, suggest a compromise.
  • Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on your classmates' suggestions and any additional areas for improvement you can identify.

Week 9

Course meetings
Monday, 5 March 2018   |   Wednesday, 7 March 2018
Assignment - Final article
  • Add final touches to your Wikipedia article.


Handout: Polishing your article


Assignment - Original analytical paper
  • Write a paper going beyond your Wikipedia article to advance your own ideas, arguments, and original research about your topic.

Week 10

Course meetings
Monday, 12 March 2018
Milestones

Students have finished all their work on Wikipedia that will be considered for grading.

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