[Wikiversity-l] Introducing newcomers to the Wikiversity

[Morley Chalmers]

I'm currently working on improving the new visitor's introduction to the
Wikiversity ‹ what it's all about, how to get involved, that sort of thing.

I'm proposing the following text on
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Welcome%2C_newcomers

===
The Wikiversity is for learning, where you'll find a learning materials
ready for downloading and courses ready to take. Anyone can participate, no
cost, no advertising, no credentials required, no degrees awarded ‹ just
learning.

Anyone can upload new teaching materials or revise the ones already here.
The Wikiversity is following the traditions of the Wikipedia.

Anyone can take a course. Anyone can teach a course. No entrance
requirements. No fees. No certificate at the end. In the context of the
Wikiversity, a course is an undertaking of a student to follow through a set
of materials under the guidance of someone willing to teach.
===

Here are my current thoughts of what would fill out the balance of the page.
What am I leaving out that should be here? Would appreciate your thoughts.

Learning materials:
What types of learning materials will be found here.
Licensing of content. How it's protected, how freely it can be used.
Fairly mature example links to explore, to give the new user a feeling for
what to expect. 
How to download and use this material.
How to give back by editing, adding.
Whether and how to fork to take a set of materials in a radically different
direction.
How these materials are currently being protected from vandalism.
How to determine the provenance of these learning materials.

Online courses: 
An overview of how some current Wikiversity online courses are being
conducted, with example links.
Discussion of how the examples cited are structured. Discussion of our
openness to other directions than these particular examples.
Discussion of the policy of openness (no credentials, no degrees) and the
benefits of having this policy.

Languages currently supported.
How to navigate the Wikiversity.
How to edit what you see.
Long range goals of the Wikiversity.
The history of the Wikiversity, how it came to be, its association with
Wikipedia, Wikibooks, etc.


Before I start editing the current newcomer page I'd appreciate getting
feedback on the above.

I would particularly appreciate specific examples of good learning materials
and ongoing courses to cite.

Kind regards,


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