IMO: MediaWiki software is not an appropriate medium for online courses.
I also get very frustrated by the shortcomings of WebCT. The demands of
online course leaders and participants are too specialized when you're
planning a series of courses to be academically challenging enough to be
considered creditable at the international academic level. If that's
your goal I would encourage adopting a floss project whose sole goal is
an online course software and which is willing to integrate with
Wikimedia resources.
* Threaded forums, with thread and forum privileges definable by course
leaders
* Private messaging, including file attachment
* File uploading (and serving if possible) for learning modules
* (WebCT has a "Chalkboard", which is a sort of js graphical shoutbox -
probably useful in courses using formulae, etc.)
* Chat/IRC integrated - leader/participant "office hours" as well as groups
** Should also include audio/video lectures at some point
* Quiz/exam server
** Timing feature (when it can be taken, how long they have to complete
it, etc.)
** Random question feature should be included (not yet in WebCT.)
** Answer key/scoring options
** Leader response/discussion is optional
** Statistical output (quiz analysis, student analysis, class analysis,
as well as data dumping)
** Needs to allow essay and fill-in-the-blank type questions at some point.
* Grading tool
** Lists all assignments in course, grade for each completed assignment,
cumulative grade to date
*** shows weight of each assignment toward final grade
** Leaders can define what constitutes passing scores for their
particular course
* Calendar tool
** Leader can build-in course calendar
** Participants have a personal calendar which can incorporate all
enrolled course calendars
*** personal calendars also editable
Specific for the leaders...
* Participant tracking
** Identifies if they have logged in to course
** Tracks time spent in different modules/sections of the course
** Statistics available for sections, lesson modules at the class and
participant levels
* Lesson module building
** prebuild html
*** upload as a directory
** online editor
*** upload files separately
** multimedia modules possible
** Timed release is definable by course leader
*** lesson modules available on dates or everything at the start, other
options should be made available
* Grading tools
** Exams - currently feedback is optional; should be feedback optional
on a per-question basis, to address specific problems a participant
might be experiencing and to allow for essay questions.
** statistical analysis is still limited at this point, but a current
data dump in a portable format is available.
There are many additional elements which would be useful, some of which
may be a part of other online course software.
Amgine
--- Marc Colbeck <marc(a)colbeck.ca> wrote:
> This seems obvious to me because I'm a paramedic, but has anyone thought of,
> or suggested, Wikimedicine?
All that info should be included in Wikipedia as encyclopedia articles and in
Wikibooks as textbooks. There is already an emergency medicine textbook on
Wikibooks and a good deal of articles in Wikipedia on the subject.
-- mav
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Hello,
I'd like to announce a proposed new project, currently
titled Wikirec,
http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikirec. A wiki for
outdoor recreation and locations. Thanks
Joe
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--- Daniel Mayer <maveric149(a)yahoo.com> wrote:
>�.
> software features I think are really needed for this to happen though ;
inter-wiki
> transclusion of pages from one wiki to another, talk page wikiforum software
> (in development), and universal login.
Also the ability to create lots and lots of radio-button-enabled test questions
and serve a randomized subset for each test session. Then have that graded
automatically by the software.
--mav
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--- Angela <beesley(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Ambi said on the mailing list last October that the domain name
> (<http://www.wikiversity.org>) had been registered (by mav) and that
> she thought there was a sufficient amount of support for the project
> to proceed. There were a few emails then where people appeared
> confused about the difference between this and Wikibooks, but no
> explicit objection to the project, and no suggestion a vote was
> needed. Around the same time, Eclecticology registered wikiversity.ca
> with no objections, and Sj suggested the same be done for
> wikiversity.fr.
Yep - I registered it. For a while I was toying with the idea of renaming
Wikibooks to Wikiversity and expanding that project�s focus. That idea,
however, wasn�t well supported in the Wikibooks community, so I dropped it. My
ideas are now focused on having Wikiversity be a super-project that uses
content (no forks!) created from the various Wikimedia projects (such as
textbooks from Wikibooks, encyclopedias from Wikipedia, source material from
Wikisource, etc) along with being a place for instructors to create lesson
plans and to serve as a discussion forum and workspace for students.
Eventually we may even want to become accredited in one or more nations and
actually offer degree programs. But all these ideas are still in my head � I
haven�t had much time to write them down and run them by others. Some software
features I think are really needed for this to happen though ; inter-wiki
transclusion of pages from one wiki to another, talk page wikiforum software
(in development), and universal login.
> However, now that Wikinews has gone through a proper creation process,
> and thinking of the problems caused by Wikispecies, which didn't, I
> think it would be a good idea to follow the policy at
> <http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/New_project_policy>. This basically
> means that the project should be discussed, voted on and then a
> decision made by the board. I have spoken to Anthere this morning
> about this and she agrees that the project could be ready to start,
> but it shouldn't be being presented as a Wikimedia project before it
> is formally approved.
I agree.
> The German language version has been created at <http://
> de.wikiversity.org/>, but I propose that this should left up as a demo
> site, since attempts to get funding for the project are already
> underway (<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikiversit%C3%A4tSkizze2>).
I didn�t even know it existed� Also agree.
> Is anyone willing to organize a vote along the same lines as the
> Wikinews one? It would be a good idea for the current pages about
> Wikiversity on Meta and on Wikibooks to be refined into a clearer
> proposal before the voting begins, to ensure the confusion about the
> aims of the project are clarified before a decision is made.
I�ll help starting this weekend.
-- mav
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I just noticed on User:WiseWoman's user page that a German Wikiversity
has been created at
http://de.wikiversity.org/
According to the Main Page history, it seems to have been started on
March 2. I see no discussion on this list regarding the creation of this
project. It does reside on our servers, however.
I am aware that there are Wikiversity-endeavors taking place within the
Wikibooks framework. But this is different, it has its own domain name
and is clearly labeled as a separate project. No mention is made of
Wikibooks on the Wikiversity homepage. And it is German-specific -- no
other wikiversity.org wikis exist.
From what I understand, this may be related to the continuing effort to
get a German government grant for the project. I'm not opposed to
Wikiversity, though it is not yet fully clear to me what the project
should encompass and whether it should happen within Wikibooks, above
it, or in parallel. I would simply like to know:
1) When and why was this wiki set up? Who made the decision?
2) Why was the procedure for launching new projects as established with
Wikinews not followed?
3) What are the future plans for the wiki?
If this is merely meant to be a demonstration prototype and not an
official project of the Wikimedia Foundation, I think that status should
be clearly indicated on the wiki.
Last but not least, a MAJOR issue: all the wikiversity.org language
subdomains have an unprotected "Create wiki" link. If this is meant to
be a German demo only, then we have to disable this link ASAP, or
otherwise people will start building their things there before the
project has been officially approved.
Peace,
Erik
--- notafish <notafishz(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> OK, sorry for digging out old conversations, I've been dead for the
> past 5 days, and just resurrected for a few hours. So here goes.
>
> > > This said, I stand up to my opinion that mentions of stewards
> or
> > > arbitrators of the english AC has basically nothing to do here.
> These
> > > positions do not exist in the real world. They mean nothing to
> those
> > > outside wikipedia. They are unrelated to the Foundation itself.
> And
> > > they are only part of the status existing on the projects.
> >
> > Well, there are apparently plans to form Arbitration Committees
> on other
> > language versions of Wikipedia, so it's not en:-centric (or not
> intended to
> > be). Thus Arbitrator status, and certainly, of course, Stewards,
> are
> > Wikimedia-project-wide, and the people who will receive these
> cards will
> > understand that they confer extra 'status' of some kind, as you
> say. Neither
> > job are particularly easy to do, and a small amount of thanks
> like this is
> > perhaps not a bad thing.
>
> Having a card, imho, has nothing to do with getting any thanks for
> a
> job well done within wikipedia or any other project, but more about
> having (or not having) a right to speak about certain matters with
> a
> more or less official position. Arbitrators, Stewards are all, as
> Anthere pointed out, positions within the projects, but not
> positions
> that mean that you have a right to talk about the Moogle Deal of
> the
> Fahoo proposition or a right to sell Wikipedia and all other
> projects
> to the next Moohoo buyer who comes along. Of course, I am going a
> bit
> far, here, but this is what a "card" could entitle to do.
>
> So no, they should not be given out as thanks, but as an exact
> description of who does what in the Wikimedia Foundation and
> projects,
> and who can say "we" when talking about the Foundation, or
> Wikimedia
> Deutschland, or Wikimedia France. People in general, journalists in
> particular, are very wary of who their source is, but will be
> fooled
> by a little square of paper. A "business card" gives a credibility
> that some of us certainly do not have, and some of us certainly do
> not
> deserve. So let us be careful when handing out those "cards".
Samples of titles:
Wikipedia Administrator
Wikimedia Software Developer
Wikimedia Senior Systems Engineer
Contributing Editor
Arbitration Committee Panelist 2005
WikiNews Freelance Photographer
and so on.
I see nothing in there that says they can speak 'for' the foundation.
There should be a link to Wikimedia Foundation's formal contacts on
each card, like this: www.wikimedia.com/press and an explanation on
that page of what cards there are, who has them, and so on. This will
allow the press people to understand who the cardbearer is and what
they do.
Chris Mahan
818.943.1850 cell
chris_mahan(a)yahoo.com
chris.mahan(a)gmail.com
http://www.christophermahan.com/
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I think there is a major problem with the way OTRS seems to work.
I say "seem" because I am not entirely sure it works the way I think it works. Here is the problem :
Yesterday, an editor contacted me to ask me what my opinion was on one of his mail.
"uh, which mail ?"
After digging in my personal email, then in the mailing list, it came to my understanding it was a mail sent to the OTRS, at board(a)wikimedia.org address.
So, I went to OTRS. I could not find the mail.
After I was given the number of the ticket by the editor, I looked for the ticket, and got a rather bland message "you are not permitted to view this ticket".
Ach so ?
I was told that Angela had already answered it, and this is how I realised something I had not till now.
When a message gets in OTRS, all board members can see it. Once a person answers the message, it is automatically transferred in his personal list, and blocked. It seems that from this moment, it becomes non accessible to others. That means neither the original message, nor the answer can be seen by others. I think it becomes visible again when the message is closed, but it seems that when it is not closed, permission to access it is just denied. The benefit of the personal file is that the owner of the message receives a personal warning if there is an answer sent in response to his answer.
I have a serious problem with this.
Previous to the OTRS system, we all received the mails sent to the board address.
The benefit was that we all were aware of mails sent to us.
The drawback was double. First it filled up the mail box. Second, if the one answering did not put us in copy, we had no way to know the mail was answered.
Now, with the OTRS system, these two problems could be solved IF all mails stayed in the main file where all members can see the mails coming in, as well as the answers given to it.
This is not the case.
Currently, once one person answers a mail, the others have no idea what the answer is. And if they did not have the time to come before the mail was answered, they even have no idea which mails were sent to the board, what they were about, who wrote them.
Or if there is a way to see the mails in the file of other members, I just could not find it. And I do not think Jimbo knows either. We are very confused about this system I fear :-)
I fear it would be unrealistic for us to always answer these mails with a global united voice. We just do not have time to discuss each mail before answering (sometimes we do of course). But generally, it is best that only one of us answer. However, I think it is absolutely mandatory that all of us are aware a mail was sent and on which topic and by who. And I think we should be able to see what the other member answered, if only to say privately to them we do not agree, or on the contrary to second the answer provided.
I think that people who write us to this address expect that we all have the opportunity to see at least the mail once, even if we do not answer it. Currently, we do not have this opportunity. And once some one has answered a mail, the others cannot answer it any more. There is something really not fitting here. I know not if the OTRS allows to change the preferences here. I think two options would be best :
* Either by default, all the answered mails are kept in the general board file, and from time to time, we close tickets.
* Or we could have a second file, hosting the mails we already answered to. These mails could have an owner to be warned possibly, but they should be accessible for read and write by all other members.
I think this should be default working for all OTRS files. I just do not very well understand the notion of "ownership" of a mail :-)
Now, if I just understood nothing of how OTRS works, and it is possible to see all mails somewhere, please inform me, because I feel really lost in this system. If too complicated, it ain't worth it. HELP PLEASE :-)
Ant
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I transfered to nota and Elian the set of business
cards I made after James Forrester cards. I had to do
them again unfortunately, as I could not open them
with my available software and they were american
format, not the one we use in Europe.
These were done in Adobe Illustrator format.
Elian will put on meta. And notafish could (if you ask
nicely) make each of you a set at your name and sent
you a high quality pdf for printing. If you purchase a
set of pre-cut cards, it is quite cheap.
The benefit of it could be that we all have similar
looking cards.
You'll notice that beneath the wikimedia logo, on my
card for example, is mentionned "Wikimedia
Foundation".
We'll ask that instead is mentionned the name of the
local chapter, for example Wikimedia France.
There is also a little text, saying "A registered
non-profit corporation dedicated to encouraging the
growth and development of free-content, multilingual,
wiki-based information and learning. projects." and
adding the address of the Foundation.
You may consider (or not) an equivalent text in german
or french. And put the correct address.
I think this is all. I know german verein already has
business cards, so it is up to you whether or not to
use the model. As far as I know, french association
has no card yet.
It would be nice to get James cards as well, to put
them on meta possibly.
Last point, it was suggested that only board members
or officers get cards, not regular members of
associations. I do not think this is a problem.
Cheers
Anthere
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Hiho,
a report for all who were not there...
From 10th to 12th March 2005 Wikimedia was present at the world
biggest computer fair, the cebit in Hannover, Germany. Our booth was
located in the lovely neighbourhood of projects like Debian, KDE,
Gnome and OpenOffice at the Linuxpark. Brockhaus was also present at
Cebit, in the same hall like us. Unlike most of the other open source
projects we had a whole booth for us, with a table for the
presentations computer and leaflets. Decoration and Equipment was
still scarce -- we used the posters left from [[FOSDEM 2005]], Nina
provided her brandnew iBook as presentation computer.
Day one started with a prominent visitor at our booth: Jon Maddog
Hall. And of course he instantly discovered a mistake in
Wikipedia. Looking up his biography in the english wikipedia, he found
his name spelled wrongly -- good occasion to fix this (edit summary:
"spelled my name correctly"). When I logged in to move the page
afterwards, I could see one more time how fast Wikipedia works: RickK
had already moved the page to the correct title (okay, there was some
sort of redirect confusion...).
In the following time the booth crew, Mathias Schindler, Nina,
Southpark (en:Zeitgeist), Marco Krohn and I were busy answering
questions from visitors. Most knew Wikipedia already and were
interested in basic questions like "How do you make sure that no
nonsense stays in?". People also showed lots of interest in the CD,
DVD and print versions. And of course, some wikipedians passed by,
too. A lot of people came with Mediawiki related questions which we
tried to answer as good as possible, sometimes with help from the devs
on IRC. For the next fair, it would be good to have a developer at
the booth.
In the afternoon, I held a presentation about Wikipedia at the
Linuxpark forum. At six we closed down the booth and went together to
the annual Wikipedia cebit meetup in the same old pub as last year,
talking until late night about excellent articles, edit-wars, vfd (the
usual wikipedia chitchat).
The following day, Presroi and I had an radio interview with a
journalist from NDR and were running around a lot establishing
contacts. We left some dutch wikipedia leaflets at the booth of the
Netherlands and I grumbled about myself that I had no info materials
in Arabic to distribute it at the booths of the Arabic
countries. Cebit could have been a possibility for us to promote
wikipedia in those countries with bad internet connectivity and reach
people who actually have internet there.
Saturday, day three was supposed to be the busiest (with reduced
entrance fees for students) but was relatively quiet for us, with people
from berlinux passing by, inviting us to their next conference in Berlin
and so on.
These are the lessons we learned for the next such events:
* Send out a press release at least one week before
* Make a list of things you want to achieve at the event and arrange
appointments beforehand (We were _really_ lucky this time).
* Have a stand crew and a team of people who visit others. Minimum for
big events like Cebit are four people. It happened sometimes that we
were busy explaining wikipedia to a crowd of casual visitors and
behind was someone waiting with something important to say. Good to
be able to divide work then without having to cut one talk off.
* Have at least one person in the crew who can explain the technical
side and answer questions about mediawiki.
* create a wikipedia user account for the event and edit under this
user name. Like this, you can show features like the watchlist
without showing your private one and other wikipedians are
warned.
* Prepare for no sleep (five hours are real luxury).
* Don't forget your business cards, Repeat: Don't forget your business
cards. Ah, and make sure you don't run out fo business cards.
* a small bowl with gummibärchen or other sweets doesn't cost much and
is a nice gesture for visitors (idea stolen shamelessly from the KDE
people). You only have to make sure that the stand crew doesn't eat
them all.
* last but not least: for next year, we want a sofa and book shelves.
Pictures: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cebit_2005
This report on meta: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cebit_2005
greetings and good night,
elian