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Contents 1 A cry for instruction 2 My most influential learnings here 3 AcaWiki 4 smartphones 5 What role does Wikimedia have to play in educational content? What content beyond encyclopedic content can/should Wikimedia provide? 6 Authoring groups 7 call for peer review 8 Another question about assessment content: extend QTI or new microformat? 8.1 Please help integrate proposals for assessment content and assessment review into MediaWiki 9 Wiktionary_Hover: a JavaScript on double-click 10 New RC patrolling concept 11 Expository articles 12 1 Billion Hungry people 13 The World Today 14 More than 1180 files with copyright problem in the only english wikiversity 15 Unified watchlist

[edit] A cry for instruction

I am looking for someone to help update the Czech language section. Any suggestions about how to drum up support for this topic? Where I live, classes for more exotic languages such as this do not exist. Trying to find reliable, coherent Czech instruction online has been equally fruitless. I would love to see this site thrive, and am willing to work on it, but cannot provide the backbone material required for obvious reasons.

Thank you,

Welkin.Shibboleth 07:50, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Three places you might want to ask for help are:

1) Check language Wikipedia: [1].

2) Check language Wiktionary: [2].

3) The (incomplete) Wikibook on the Check language: [3].

Good luck ! StuRat 11:05, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] My most influential learnings here

Two subjects came to me through policy debate here were completely new to me, and now figure into my everyday life:

• Instruction Creep expressed in the sense that even the best-conceived rules will eventually be used as tools of abuse
• Just World Hypothesis as an extension of blaming the victim

I felt compelled to share this; thanks all for the lively debate.--JohnBessa^talk 16:00, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] AcaWiki

AcaWiki AcaWiki is like "Wikipedia for academic research" -- Jtneill - Talk - c 14:00, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

Have had a look, some interesting aspects:

1. http://acawiki.org/Special:Version
2. http://acawiki.org/User:Jtneill

Don't like the captcha for external links! And the restrictive userform/template. And it looks like its only for posting summaries of research - not for original research? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 14:13, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

Maybe they could merge with Wikiversity. Wikiversity could become an organization that bundles several individual efforts to make one larger successful.--Daanschr 19:00, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

Magnus Manske is a prominant Wikipedian.--Daanschr 19:01, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

Is he behind AcaWiki? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 02:00, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

I do like the tagging/organisation etc. e.g., here for psychology - how is that achieved? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 02:00, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

"Maybe they could merge with Wikiversity" No, no, no! Bigger is not better: quality over quantity! We have it going on pretty well here, maturing in ways no other wiki--or site even--has.--JohnBessa^talk 15:46, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

Manske is one of the most prominent programmers of the Wikimedia Foundation. He could have made the tagging option. I am not a programmer, so i don't know how to make it. Manske is the first name mentioned in the first link you provided.--Daanschr 07:20, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Wikiversity should only do tagging with subjects which are worth looking at, finished products.--Daanschr 07:21, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

I started using the Category as a form of tagging.. what do you think? Leighblackall 08:55, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

When I was studying eduction, I found that there are two catagorization systems, mind mapping and concept mapping. Mind mapping is purely hierarchical, and concept mapping joins "tags" to create spaghetti. Concept mapping is called "webbing" in primary education.

In the late 90s, I did a lot of research and programming with Perl to implement complex structures for categorizing information for systems management. What I created was a complex structure of hierarchical categories (hashes of hashes leading to arrays of data), and implemented links to show how information interrelates between the hierarchical categories. --JohnBessa^talk 14:32, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] smartphones

Hello everyone. I'm wondering what can be done to improve the way WV displays on smart phones. I'm currently editing using the Google Android, I haven't checked the iPhone, but expect the same issues. Why does WP display better? Can the data of WV be made so that 3rd parties can easily develop sites or apps that display WV better. I have tried to use YahooPipes to reuse content but either I am too basic, or WV content is a little inaccessible. . Such as no RSS. --Leighblackall 08:29, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

The reason Wikipedia displays better is because it has implemented the Wikimedia Mobile. I'm not sure what it takes to get the implemented on Wikiversity... Leighblackall 08:49, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

Leigh - thanks for finding this out - curious, have you tried mobile access for the other sister projects? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 09:11, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

No I haven't JT, but the lead developer tells me its only on WP, and due to my enthusiasm, assures me that WV is next. He says he's very busy and might be hard pressed coming back to it soon :( He's given my this technical specification though. Do you know anyone in Wikiversity who could make sense of it and use it to make ready from Wikimobile? Leighblackall 12:24, 6 November 2009 (UTC)

A relevant tweet from http://twitter.com/wikimediamobile to http://twitter.com/leighblackall is http://twitter.com/WikimediaMobile/statuses/5392937313 -- Jtneill - Talk - c 01:01, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Also, suggest we start Wikiversity:Mobile and eventually (no hurry) fork the development discussion to there. I'm a mobile neophyte, but happy to help and one day will be keen to get an android and experiment. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 01:04, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

There is no reason we cannot build our own test environment, and make the changes from the distribution. This might effectively lead to wv's own development environment for education-based development. This would no doubt excite "real world" educators, which is the only direction for wv growth that I support, which is educational support.

I personally feel the need for:

• Messaging widget that could start in the upper corner over the "capital dome" (which I think is a biased symbol, how about a Platonic tree?) and slide down the side of the page if the user desires.
• Citation support tools (especially photographic evidence) to make it really, really easy to back up writing. One would would start by linking text to contextual support, and then a form could could result from the links to easily create the citations section, further leading to an extended reading page or an annotated bibliography page. I would want to streamline photographic referencing for citations as part of this (but not as part of normal "up loading").

There is a desire to implement WYSIWYG everywhere in wikidom; I oppose it. The only web editing tool that has evoked technical jealousy in me is Ning's editor. I would extend something like it for citation support (see above), and perhaps comparative table building.--JohnBessa^talk 16:19, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] What role does Wikimedia have to play in educational content? What content beyond encyclopedic content can/should Wikimedia provide?

What role does Wikimedia have to play in educational content? What content beyond encyclopedic content can/should Wikimedia provide? (strategy.wikimedia.org) --fasten 14:09, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

This is an important page on strategy.wikimedia.org - Emerging strategic priorities/ESP 3 key questions#Educational_Content - I've just responded to all questions - previously Wikiversity was barely mentioned. Please contribute. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 15:24, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

There is a central role in this discussion - and in the interpretation of the "educational" description we assign to our mission - to be played by Wikiversity. Currently, despite WV's steady progress, it is not used by most of the 'experts' in the OER community, and often Wikipedia is used instead as the canonical example of how wikis can be used in education. A clear set of goals and priorities for WV itself would help mold this discussion; and active participation by Wikischolars (or however the naming discussion resolves itself :) in strategy topics across the board would provide a most welcome balance. Personally I think some of the project-based explorations taking place on WV [how to associate materials from related classes, how to provide semi-realtime support for people studying a topic or course together, &c] are taking place on many other self-study or 'educational non-profit' sites who a) just want to improve education and don't see anyone else trying the free collaborative approach they have in mind, and b) aren't aware that WV exists or that it is open to public collaboration. Sj 13:58, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

I am going to a one-room schoolhouse reunion this month. The reunion is sponsored by the local historical society, which is interested in actual community restoration. I have proposed the constructivist idea of "restoring the historical community of knoweldge" by actually re-opening the one-room school. Objections by educators to this idea (I have introduced the idea to widely) is that the school would be educationally isolated and that the older students would be held back. The isolation problem could easily be resolved by using wv to structure expanding knowledge.

According to locally gathered historical information, the school offered a better education than the large nearby grade school. When the one-room school closed and the one-room students went into the larger school, they were chided. But the grade school students were surprised to find that the one-room students were, in fact, more successful. The one-room students actually educated each other, and because learning cyclically builds on previous learning (using what are called milestones in project development), the older children reinforced their understandings by teaching the younger, and then themselves sought more complex implementations of their learning based on their successes and confidence.

If I succeed in creating interest, I am going to propose wv as a structure for developing the learning. This, of course, will span decades--if I am successful!--JohnBessa^talk 14:55, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Authoring groups

• Proposal:Authoring groups (strategy.wikimedia.org) --fasten 21:17, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

--122.167.84.174 02:27, 1 November 2009 (UTC) Hi iam chandrasekhar,new to this wikiversity i was aware of wikipedia plz tell me how i can use this in good manner

Hi cnadrasekhar, it would be a lot easier to respond to you, if you opened yourself an account, as that would automatically give you your own User area that you can experiment in, without damaging others work, and it comes complete with a talk page where you can be privately coached on how to use the system. Once you have been active for a while, one of the custodians will send you a message on that talk page that includes some beginning advice. As well you might want to take a course on the Wiki Language so as to become fluent in it. There is another wiki that offers seminars on wiki language called Wikieducator. It is not a hard language to learn, but some aspects of it are tricky. There are a couple of policies that you should know such as "Assume Good Faith" and "Edit Boldly" but these are not a license to damage others work, and there is a very active group of editors, that are working hard to improve the quality of the works here, so vandalism and other forms of self-expression at the cost of the institute will be very quickly detected and dealt with. Essentially Wikiversity is a learning resource base, for teaching from a young age up. We encourage all ages to get involved, so you are very welcome. --Graeme E. Smith 14:31, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

--Snoozebob 18:45, 3 November 2009 (UTC)my key board does not have that symbol

[edit] call for peer review

I made some original research, multidisciplinary and heavily explained so that most people can follow what's going on, even if you haven't any expertise you are welcomed. Abstracts at my user page.

• The Deweirdifier( 1 physics/biochemistry, 2 abiogenesis/evolution, 3 neural nets/psychology, 4 sociology(sort of))

• Unbabel (linguistics (sort of))

• Human sea squirt (medicine (sort of))

--Deweirdifier 15:41, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Another question about assessment content: extend QTI or new microformat?

I am copying the subsection below back from the archives because I wanted to get some opinions on whether a extension of the IMS Question and Test Interoperability specification (QTI) would be more or less appropriate than a new microformat. Does anyone have any opinions about that? 99.34.79.144 21:29, 12 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Please help integrate proposals for assessment content and assessment review into MediaWiki

I am having trouble with http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposal:Assessment_content (which was started before I even knew the MediaWiki Quiz extention existed) because I realize now that the review system, which is described seperately in http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposal:Develop_systems_for_accuracy_review needs to be much more tightly coupled or the two parts will be much less useful.

Please see [4] for a set of states in a state transition flow, followed by a list of fields with some really important ones missing. I updated the question about the necessary database structure on [5] but I wanted to ask for help here, as there seems to be a greater quantity of volunteers eager to make something of free interactive educational content here.

Specific questions:

What fields need to be added to each question in order to support accuracy review?

The answer scored as incorrect which is challenged as correct, among other things. 99.25.113.203 15:12, 11 September 2009 (UTC)

Is there a Village Pump/Technical forum here where these questions would be more appropriate? --99.35.130.5 18:15, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Please see http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Quiz -- You probably want someone with Tim Starling's level of MediaWiki/SQL expertese for this. The enwiki VP/T may be more appropriate for this question, but let people here try to answer first, I guess. 98.210.193.221 20:11, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

McCormack is the person who developed Quiz, here. He's not been around lately but you might get him interested in working on this. I'm doing some similar work for generating dynamic content with MediaWiki but I'm mostly doing with the #time parser function so far, but was planning to get to some Test and Quiz topics further down the road. Looks like it would be wothwhile. I'll dig a bit deeper. CQ 16:56, 11 September 2009 (UTC)

Thank you. I'll try to figure out the additional field variables for being able to review a newly submitted question item. 76.254.67.112 20:01, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

I don't see any more interdependencies in the data structures or dataflow which would suggest any more database complexity than what's already described. However, readers have been making some odd challenges and have asked for diagrams on http://strategy.wikimedia.org/wiki/Proposal_talk:Develop_systems_for_accuracy_review -- I think it's fair to say that both need a formal source data syntax and semantics, as well as copious diagrams before we try to get a set of interoperable implementations. 98.210.193.221 17:45, 1 October 2009 (UTC)

--Sam161998 19:17, 13 November 2009 (UTC) When we sleep long so why after waking up our head is paining?

[edit] Wiktionary_Hover: a JavaScript on double-click

Wikinews proposes a script to display the Wiktionary definition in a small board, when one double-click on a word. It's already been installed in the following Wiktionairies gadgets: in French and in Italian. The interface of the board depends on the user's language preferences.

To add it here, we should vote for an administrator, in:

1. MediaWiki:Gadget-dictionaryLookupHover.js, copies without the guillemets : "importScriptURI('http://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=MediaWiki:Gadget-dictionaryLookupHover.js&action=raw&ctype=text/javascript');"
2. MediaWiki:Gadgets-definition, adds "* dictionaryLookupHover|dictionaryLookupHover.js"
3. MediaWiki:Gadget-dictionaryLookupHover, describes the gadget. JackPotte 15:35, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] New RC patrolling concept

Hello, is there any needs to add the site in https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=21517? JackPotte 15:35, 15 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Expository articles

Hi -- I just found this site and am curious about what sorts of content are acceptable here. I'm interested in writing expository articles about mathematics aimed at high school students, but nothing like a textbook: for example, I'd like to write an article about curvature without defining the Levi-Civita connection and everything else that must be developed to do it formally. I'd probably also prefer to write articles about fairly disjointed subjects rather than developing something resembling a comprehensive course in differential geometry. Think Martin Gardner instead of coursework. Is this the right wiki to do something like this? If not, any suggestion of what might be? Thanks! (The preceding unsigned comment was added by 18.251.7.108 (talk • contribs) .)

Greetings! I am not really into geometry, so I don't know exactly what you are talking about , but it sounds pretty much as content pages fit for Wikiversity, so I suggest to register and go on! --Gbaor 08:49, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

Good idea! Please go ahead. I have wikified your message - if you don't mind. Hillgentleman | //\\ |Talk 19:23, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] 1 Billion Hungry people

Today begins the Hunger Summit at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. 1billionhungry.org. --Gbaor 08:53, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

The way I understand it, there are two main reasons for hunger.

1. Hungry people are poor, and so someone else has to pay for the food
2. Hungry people are not centralized in one place, so the food has to be distributed and transport becomes a major expense especially in countries that have governments that refuse transport for various reasons.

The best planned food programs come up against these two problems time and again, there isn't enough money to buy enough food to feed everyone, and even if there was, it is often impossible to get the food to the people who really need it. Recently, Government attempts at distribution have played into the hands of the less interested governments, with the result that in many cases, the food has got to the country, that needs it but not to the actual starving people.

To add insult to injury, countries with more poverty, tend also to have more population, which means that the number of people who are starving is increasing faster than the worlds food supply. In the cases of natural disasters and disease, often the number of starving children outpaces the adults that could deal with food even if it arrived. Consider the signs that have started showing up that ask people not to feed street children in AIDS affected areas of Africa. It indicates that the extended family that formerly supported many children has broken down, and the street kid population is growing despite the best attempts of NGO's. If people in their own country and government are refusing to feed them, the street kids will find other ways to feed themselves which will increase the spread of disease. It is partially because of Survival Sex, sex used to buy food, that AIDS keeps spreading. There are places in Africa where it is still believed that if you have sex with a virgin you can cure AIDS. This is dangerous in a disease that has a high re-infection rate, and which can be carried for 10 years before it becomes symptomatic. Just about the time that the child becomes a productive member of society they begin to die of Aids. So AIDS means that we will have to feed more than one generation of children before the country involved can get back on its feet and begin to support itself. Food might be the cheapest way to limit the spread of AIDS, but then, that assumes that the world wants to limit the spread of AIDS.--Graeme E. Smith 01:32, 17 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] The World Today

Most people think that the world today is bad. Because of problems they are facing and suffering. Corrupt leaders, smuggling, economic crisis, water shortage, overpopulation, climate change, crimes and wars. It's all about politics, work, personal lives, entertainment, social. Everything and everyone is affected by these problems. Today, most people are now careful in traveling because of crimes that are roaming around. Hold-ups, pickpockets, robbery and many others. The world is buried by these problems made by mankind. Environmentally, there is a proportion; Man destroys Nature and Nature destroys Man. If you want to change the world, think for a minute and do it. --112.198.198.252 12:56, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] More than 1180 files with copyright problem in the only english wikiversity

The title is speaking itself.Crochet.david 21:21, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Is there a link or category? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 21:42, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Category:Images with unknown copyright status.Crochet.david 22:07, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

This is a pretty big problem and one which I think, as is probably suggested by its current extent, one which we would struggle to get on top of without being a bit drastic. Realistically, the problems with the majority of these images will not be resolved so most of them will have to be deleted in accordance with the Foundation Licensing policy. I would propose that the most feasible approach is to delete the contents of this folder whilst acknowledging that we might later restore a limited number of these files if their uploader brings it to our attention that they can resolve the problems. The most straightforward way of doing this would probably be via a bot account with the admin rights required to delete the files. I would welcome any feedback on this. Adambro 21:25, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

I wonder if there are any other "smart" ways of drilling into this content to help get an overview of it - e.g., by user or time or whether the images are linked to etc. I need to read the WMF policy, but I am curious - if someone uploads self-created files (such as images), can it not be assumed that they have contributed it to the project (as they do any text edits) in good faith under the WMF licensing policy? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 05:33, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

I guess the problem is - how do we know what is self-created and what is other-created unless the uploader so indicated? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 05:35, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Indeed, it is very difficult, particularly in many instances where the uploader has long since stopped contributing to Wikiversity. The sooner we can identify problems with images and bring them to the attention of the uploader the more likely that those problems will be resolved. That is one of the reasons why we need to reduce these backlogs, to allow more recent uploads to get the required attention. I would certainly prefer a more intelligent way of dealing with these images. Perhaps somewhere to start would be by deleting those images in this category which aren't actually used? Adambro 10:45, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

People can also upload files as self-made because they assume a screenshot makes a new copyright or for other reasons. I think ideally all unused images/files should be deleted. I think all used files should be gone through and replacements found from Wikimedia Commons or Flickr, if possible. I think how the remaining files are used should determine if they are deleted or not, using the same criteria as required for fair use. -- darklama  14:21, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Of the files with lacking the required information in this category, I've deleted just under 200 which are completely unused. These are listed at User:Adambro/deletedimages. That's made a good reduction of the backlog but it remains substantial at around 1000 images. Adambro 15:37, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Unified watchlist

Is there anything going on to put the Wikiversity watchlist into a unified watchlist with other ones?

I may not get back here soon to see the discussion. I only check my Wikipedia and Commons watchlists regularly. You see the problem? --Timeshifter 05:36, 20 November 2009 (UTC)