The issue of credentials and authority keeps coming up. Inevitably keeps
coming up. Therefore I am proposing a comprehensive statement on these
topics specifically aimed at orienting newcomers.
Before I poke a stick into a hornets nest, I'm asking for feedback here.
Please say whether you like what follows or not and why. Please post your
positives, as well as your negatives and revisions. Let's put together
something that won't embarrass before posting to the newcomers page where
it can then be further edited as much as anyone likes.
There are pointers to other pages within the text. I'd appreciate someone to
link to the relevant live pages.
===Credentials, diplomas & provenance===
The Wikiversity follows in the traditions of the Wikipedia, in other words
collaborative creation and editing without reference to higher authority.
[[What does that mean in practice?]] {The following appears on a separate
page, available by clicking the above link.}
* Will I earn a diploma at the Wikiversity?
:No, that's one thing we don't do. This is about the learning itself, by
itself. You cannot earn credentials here. But you can learn here and then
earn your credentials elsewhere.
* Are there exams at the Wikiversity?
:Some course leaders may post some questionnaires so you can assess your
learning progress. Course leaders may also give personal feedback on their
observations of your progress. But there's no passing grade, no way to
achieve status by your participation here.
* Who gets to decide what gets posted here?
:You do. Go ahead and post, no permission required. This project has no
set-in-stone identification of authorship. Anything can be posted by anyone
and then revised by anyone at any time. Each version is preserved. You can
easily step back and compare one version to any other, see who performed the
edits and communicate with those editors.
:If you're an expert (or, better, "have proven expertise"), you need to
prove that through your actions here, and be prepared to work with others in
collaboration - just as they must likewise be prepared to work with you.
This encouraging of equal participation is a positive factor in building a
healthy community of learning, for the sake of learning.
* How is "inappropriate" material kept off the site?
:It isn't (except for Bombmaking 101 and similar). It's
'''you''' who
decides what's appropriate. There's no higher bureaucracy "authorizing"
publication. (Copyrighted material is immediately removed, on discovery).
:There are indeed senior custodians who debate what's an abuse and take
corrective measures. These individuals earn whatever status they have by
their past actions. That's the limit of their power and of any hierarchy at
the Wikiversity.
* What if someone wrecks a perfectly good course?
:It's you who decides (at least in your eyes). Use the History tab at the
top of the page and find the older version you like. Go ahead and use that
version. Or better yet, integrate what you liked about the older version
into the current version. You can also "fork" a course into two equivalent
and equal versions covering the same subject but in different styles.
Nothing at the Wikiversity is "definitive".
* How can I determine whether the material here is any good?
:By trying it out. It's your judgement call. If you can make it better, go
ahead and edit. Note that every page has a Discussion area where you can
post your observations and questions. You can review the History of a page,
see who wrote which version and enter into dialogue with these individuals.
Together we can, and will, make the material here stronger and stronger.
* Who's authorized to teach?
:You are, no credentials required. Yes, you can set yourself up as a teacher
of anything, with or without any prior experience in the subject. If your
students like the process, good, they'll probably continue working with you.
If not, they'll likely wander away. You'll find all kinds of individuals
teaching here, retired professional academics, currently active ones, people
from industry and the self-taught with no formal qualifications at all. Ask
course leaders for their backgrounds, or not.
* If I teach, will I get paid, can I charge my students?
:No, not through the Wikiversity. You can ask for donations if you like, but
offsite and independently. We frown on fees as against the spirit of the
Wikiversity. But we can't control such a practice, do not have the resources
to police it. If we discover you're '''requiring''' payment
for an online
course conducted within the Wikiversity website or using the Wikiversity
site itself to solicit donations we most likely will take action against
you. The Wikiversity is free to all.
* Can I download materials here and use them in my own offsite classes? Can
I revise the materials? Must I make attribution to the Wikiversity?
:Yes, yes and no. Download and use. [[Check here for how our learning
materials are protected]] {Page reference to come} And definitely revise.
Better yet, post your revisions back to the Wikiversity. Also post your
experiences using the materials to the page's Discussion area. Give back and
make the Wikiversity better. Finally, attributions to the Wikiversity are
welcome but not required.
* Who pays for the Wikiversity?
:You do, by donations. [[Here's how you can make a donation]] {link to come}
(entirely voluntary). Notice there's no advertising on the Wikiversity.
We're non-commercial, entirely run by volunteers, operating costs covered by
donations, from people like you.
The Wikiversity is a facility for learning.
Morley Chalmers
--
Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they
should be. Now put the foundations under them. -- Henry David Thoreau