Morley Chalmers wrote:
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.}
This is incorrect. Wikipedia has always had a "higher authority". Jimmy
Wales acted as such from the first and then later appointed the Arbcom.
Just because "authority" is rarely used or necessary does not mean it
does not exist.
* 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.
Perhaps "You do" should be "We do". "Anything" is
incorrect. Hate speech
is unacceptable. Propaganda used as propaganda is unacceptable. Many
people will find much material inoffensive and request it be modifed
"collaboratively" or deleted. Perhaps the editor of this paragraph
should consult the submittal form.
: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.
Experts do not need to "prove" anything. Everybody needs to be willing
to discuss or reason with others. Appeal to non present or non proven
authority is not the normal expectation here. Much less is learn by
authoritatively stating a fact with no supporting reasoning than a
reasoned dialogue showing a neophyte the reasons, assumptions, etc. that
make a commonly accepted fact in a given field of expertise commonly
accepted.
* 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).
"Inappropriate material" is kept off the site. Who determines what is
"inappropriate". Commonly we the community. Occasionally the employees,
directors or owners of the Wikimedia Foundation who provide the servers.
: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.
This is incorrect in its implications. "Senior custodians" have no
implicit or explicit authority to decide beyond newcomers. They have an
ability and responsibility to take certain actions consistent with the
needs and norms of the project and the community.
* 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.
Attributions are required by the GPL and Wikiversity has no right to
waive this requirement for individual submitters. I would say it is
acceptable to provide a link to Wikiversity specific enough to find the
history of the starting point of the newly tailored materials. This is
common in academic materials so it should not be a major problem to
provide the link for starting source material.
* 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.
In general, I would prefer the orientation of the text to be the
community including the newcomer vs. the singular "You do(s)". There is
lot less individual freedom or anarchy than this consistent "you do"
implies. Ultimately the front page material will be like a Wikipedia
page with many eyeballs focused historically and at present time.
Certainly there can be a lot more freedom in more specialized or
tailored courses off the beaten track but the above implies complete
anarchy do as you please which will not last long.
Raising expectations for a few hours or days that newcomer's can do
totally as they individually please can generate quite a system shock
when they encounter their first few consensus building exercises
necessary to change existing prose, lessons, excercises, notes, facts,
assumptions, policies, etc.
regards,
mirwin