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- Course name
- BSC 4052 Conservation Biology
- Institution
- University of South Florida
- Instructor
- Chantale Bégin
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Ecology
- Course dates
- 2023-01-16 00:00:00 UTC – 2023-04-28 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 45
Conservation biology is an interdisciplinary science designed to address the causes and consequences of the global biodiversity crisis. This mission-driven field also seeks to provide effective tools to protect biodiversity against mounting threats in the current human-dominated era. This course provides an overview of major themes in the scientific basis for conservation practices and related applied problems in biology.
I think the best kind of Wikipedia input my students can have is to add to various species' articles and add/update their conservation status (endangered, threatened, etc...), write/update articles about specific conservation issues (e.g. anthropogenic Allee Effect) or update/write articles about various types of conservation interventions (e.g. wildlife corridors).
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 17 January 2023 | Thursday, 19 January 2023
- 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:
- Editing Wikipedia, pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- 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.)
- Milestones
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
Week 2
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 24 January 2023 | Thursday, 26 January 2023
- Assignment - Evaluate Wikipedia
- In class - Discussion
Week 3
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 31 January 2023 | Thursday, 2 February 2023
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, page 6
- In class - Discussion
Week 4
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 February 2023 | Thursday, 9 February 2023
- Assignment - Make a small edit
- Assignment - Finalize your topic and find sources
Week 5
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 14 February 2023 | Thursday, 16 February 2023
- Assignment - Start drafting your contributions
Resource: Editing Wikipedia, pages 7–9
- Milestones
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
Week 6
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 21 February 2023 | Thursday, 23 February 2023
- Assignment - Peer review two articles
- In class - Discussion
- Milestones
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Week 7
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 February 2023 | Thursday, 2 March 2023
- 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 8
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 7 March 2023 | Thursday, 9 March 2023
- 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
Week 9
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 21 March 2023 | Thursday, 23 March 2023
- 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.
Week 10
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 28 March 2023 | Thursday, 30 March 2023
- 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 11
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 4 April 2023 | Thursday, 6 April 2023
- 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!
Week 12
- Course meetings
-
- Tuesday, 11 April 2023 | Thursday, 13 April 2023
- Milestones
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.