Wikipedia:WikiProject AP Biology 2010

Past Projects: Wikipedia:WikiProject AP Biology 2009 and Wikipedia:WikiProject AP Biology 2008


Join us at WikiProject AP Biology 2011 .

Croatan's mascot -- an interesting choice for a coastal community


A high school class in North Carolina - Croatan High School in Newport, North Carolina - will contribute to Wikipedia until May 20, 2011. The collective goal is to write biology related articles and bring them up to featured article status (or, good article status). This is done as part of an Advanced Placement Biology course. The lead editor is Jimmy Butler. This project is a followup performance of our 2008 and 2009 efforts. The 2008 Wikipedia AP Biology Project was marked with much success. Our efforts in 2009 Wikipedia AP Biology Project, were less broad in scope; yet, none-the-less generated two FA articles; strangely, both on turtles! The 2010 season should pose an even greater challenge, with only 8 potential contributors; they all must step up and be counted. As always, we are prepared to adapt:

  • The entire class will adopt one or perhaps two articles as opposed to each student flying solo.
  • The time frame will continue to be one semester; however, I plan to insert more deadlines that are linked to grades to reduce procrastination.
  • The final grade will be based on their portfolio, containing the student's contributions - content research, interaction with the Wikipedia community, content contribution via direct edits, formatting, images, as well as the dreaded citation formatting. This portfolio will be reviewed in a conference setting, giving the student the opportunity to justify the grade they desire.
  • There will be no connection between the student's grade and FA or GA status. I will be evaluating contributions, not outcome. This marks a dramatic change and hopefully reflects a more equitable form of evaluation. FA status will hopefully be an outcome of our efforts; however, it will not define student success.


Feel free to discuss this project. Please notify me of any concerns, especially if they involve the behavior of my students on Wikipedia. With a little patience, this should be an inspirational experience for all.