Wikipedia Editing for Digital Literacy

COURSE: ENG 101, NEWS LITERACY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

SEMESTER: FALL 2018 & SPRING 2019

INSTRUCTOR: SHEILA TEFFT

ASSIGNMENT IN BRIEF

Students contributed content to Wikipedia about a local newspaper, either from their hometown or another one of their choice. The assignment called for creating a completely new article based on the WikiProject Newspapers list, which was created in an effort to improve coverage of local news sources in Wikipedia. In a few cases, students were allowed to contribute content to an already existing article if the article had very little content. Students were expected to write several sections of content, add an info/summary box, include Wiki and external links, tag them with categories. Adding Creative Commons-licensed images from the Wikimedia Commons and discussing the topic on Talk pages (social pages where editors interact) were optional.

Instruction on how to edit Wikipedia was given through modules in the Wiki Education dashboard and in-class tutorials from a TLT Educational Analyst, who also provided support and resources throughout the semester. The Wiki Education dashboard also allowed the instructor to easily view and grade articles that students wrote. A subject librarian assisted students with selecting and researching their newspapers.

In addition, students wrote a three-page reflective essay on the research and editing process. This paper discussed aspects of their experience such as how the student went about their research, how they ensured accuracy, the challenges they encountered, and advice they would give to new Wikipedia editors.

TECHNOLOGY USED

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Research, analyze, and describe local news media sources
Identify and cite high-quality sources
Write original, unbiased online content, integrating knowledge from the course
Contribute to social media discussion about news media
Explain and reflect on how digital media is created and understood