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Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University/Technical and Professional Editing (Fall 2020)

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Course name
Technical and Professional Editing
Institution
Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University
Instructor
Matt McKinney
Subject
Course dates
2020-08-19 00:00:00 UTC – 2020-11-24 23:59:59 UTC
Approximate number of student editors
24


This is an applied course meant to prepare students to function as an editor in technical and professional venues. It will focus on three related skill-sets: developing a careful eye for detail and precision while working with written and visual documents; practicing commenting and marking writing in a way that is clear and useful; and developing the ability to work in multiple, unfamiliar, and often difficult genres and media. It will practice the leadership and cooperation required for editorship as well as experience the challenges of working with technical subjects.

The Wikipedia-related assignment will be to find an article that needs improvement on Wikipedia and update it (i.e. the research and write content assignment the module stipulates). Students will work on this assignment in teams. I am basing my version of this assignment on Dr. Josh DiCaglio's, and he will be providing guidance for me on the Wikipedia project.

Timeline

Week 4

Course meetings
Wednesday, 9 September 2020   |   Friday, 11 September 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:


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

Begin a blog about your experiences. You can use discussion questions to frame your entries, or reflect on the research and writing process. Create at least one blog entry each week during the Wikipedia assignment.

Milestones

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 5

Course meetings
Monday, 14 September 2020   |   Wednesday, 16 September 2020   |   Friday, 18 September 2020
Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
In class - Discussion

Week 6

Course meetings
Monday, 21 September 2020   |   Wednesday, 23 September 2020   |   Friday, 25 September 2020
Assignment - Review the rules for health topics
Assignment - Choose possible topics

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6


In class - Discussion

Week 7

Course meetings
Monday, 28 September 2020   |   Wednesday, 30 September 2020   |   Friday, 2 October 2020
Assignment - Add to an article
Assignment - Exercise
Assignment - Exercise
Assignment - Start drafting your contributions

Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9


Guide(s) for writing articles in your topic area

Science Communication

Milestones

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 8

Course meetings
Monday, 5 October 2020   |   Wednesday, 7 October 2020   |   Friday, 9 October 2020
Assignment - Peer review two articles

Guiding framework

In class - Discussion
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 9

Course meetings
Monday, 12 October 2020   |   Wednesday, 14 October 2020   |   Friday, 16 October 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 - Exercise
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 10

Course meetings
Monday, 19 October 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
Milestones

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