Wikiversity talk:Browse

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[edit] New concept (April 2008)

The following is a copy of my post to the colloquium. --McCormack 07:10, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

I've been working on a new browse page for Wikiversity for some time. I have activated this today. If you were used to the old one, the novelty will probably shock. You can still access the old one if you prefer it. The new browse page has a number of ideas behind it. (1) It makes heavy use of the category tree extension to list wikiversity content dynamically via the category system, which means the page pretty well maintains itself. (2) It uses multiple paths and metaphors which cater better for the needs of our diverse user types and which avoid any stereotyping of wikiversity (e.g. only for US universities, only for certain resource types, etc). A self-criticism would be that the page feels rather like a train-station now - but then educational institutions do actually need some notice boards which feel like train-stations. Other pages, such as portals, can adopt friendlier, decorative and lounge-like styles. Hopefully people will feel that this is an improvement. --McCormack 07:07, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How to edit this page

Simple instructions.

  1. Don't edit the page; edit the categories!
  2. OK, go ahead and edit the page IF you really know how the category tree extension works and how a few other rather complicated templates work...! You can also ask me (McCormack) if you have to do some maintenance on the page.
  3. Suppose you want to add something into the system, here's how...
    1. Let's say your prize resource is called The Telephone Directory Reading Group of Vladivostok.
    2. Start by going to The Telephone Directory Reading Group of Vladivostok and add the page to some categories. For example, this is a reading group, so add it to Category:Reading groups. It is also non-formal education, so add it to Category:Non-formal Education. You could also add it to Category:Telecommunications and Category:Russia.
    3. Assuming, at this point, that all the above categories are themselves properly categorised into the Wikiversity main category tree, your resource will now be attached to multiple guides. For example, it would show up under "resource types --> reading groups" and "non-formal education", as well as somewhere in the faculty of information sciences.
    4. Not only would your categorisation add your reading group to this browse page; it would also, at the same time, with no more clicking, add it to the new portals which also use the category tree extension. In other words, at the mere cost of proper and thorough categorisation, your reading group has become well advertised and well connected.
    5. Suppose that category:Reading groups did not exist yet, or was not properly categorised, you would create it, and then categorise it under Category:Resources by type to attach it to the overall tree.
McCormack 13:25, 19 April 2008 (UTC)
Please paste questions below; please do not break up the instructions. Thank you!

[edit] "Old" style subject school icons

Although the current version is definatly rather powerful in its functionality, the following is a suggestion for the next version. Maybe include a row a bit akin to how Template:Portal_Nav is setup between the top two boxes, or between the second box and where the columns begin. And while the current version is quite nice, there maybe something to be said for the icons and the simplicity. --Remi 16:09, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

I had a good look at the Wikiversity:Browse page again and tried to imagine how it would look if it was somehow combined with Template:Portal_Nav. I couldn't really imagine it very well. One option might therefore be for you to create a concept page where you try it out. Another thought I have is that we might be dealing with fundamentally different purposes here, which might be better served by having two quite different pages. If a page tries to please too many needs at the same time, it may end up pleasing none. In this context, one of my long term goals would be to improve Help:Guides to the point where this can also go in the sidebar under "browse". Perhaps we can also develop a highly iconic navigation page to go in the sidebar along with these? --McCormack 04:54, 24 May 2008 (UTC)
They can be seen here. Emesee 21:13, 1 September 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Resource by name and resource by type

How would it be if we removed the "resource by name", put "resource by type" in its place, and then had the departments right below the "Major starting points"? Emesee 03:04, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

  • Darklama's "resource by name" section is a good idea, but it does take up a lot of horizontal space. Rather than "removing" it, perhaps we should just "move" it to a linked subpage - e.g. keep the box, but replace the box content with a hyperlink to the subpage? A second suggestion is that some of the very small boxes could go at the top. --McCormack 04:26, 7 September 2008 (UTC)
    • I moved the "resource by name" section to a subpage and linked it from the box at the top quite prominently. I haven't done anything about your layout ideas yet, Emesee, but you might like to experiment. --McCormack 10:06, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

[edit] removing the top box

Let's remove the top box, and put the link to Wikiversity:Browse/Old somehow in with the headline text ("Major starting points - click here to browse all Portals") on the box below it. Emesee 19:41, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

  • I think the top box is a useful opportunity to orientate users in the use of the page. The wording needs to be brief and appropriate, though. General purposes: tell people what the page is; explain the concept of multiple pathways; explain to people how to get their pages listed. The last of these points is quite important. Although it's actually very easy to get listed (just categorise your pages properly), some editors, including more experienced ones, haven't realised this over the last few months. So a word of help is good as well. --McCormack 10:10, 10 September 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Browse concept

Wikiversity:Browse/Concept Emesee 22:02, 20 September 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Departments

This list is getting quite long. Perhaps we could consider something slightly more heirarchical? The Jade Knight (d'viser) 11:22, 2 November 2008 (UTC)

I think we should merge Schools, Faculties, Departments and Subjects. These categories overlap and should be simplified first, than we could categories from most general to more specific and just list the major subject categories like Wikibooks does. --darkYin yang.svglama 19:31, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
Merging all those might be too much. But perhaps Departments could simply be merged into Schools and Faculties? The Jade Knight (d'viser) 08:30, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Overwhelming

I haven't used the "browse" page in quite some time, as I have most of the content I fiddle with watchlisted. I really like the idea of the dynamic lists -- they are powerful and self maintaining.

However, they don't work well here. The page is already HUGE, and it will continue to grow (hopefully) as things are added and categorized. Browse should be a good way to quickly and simply identify where you want to go.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we take out all of the dynamic lists. But, I know when I first clicked on the page, I was completely lost. It is just so much information, it's hard to take in.

The old page, by contrast, while not so simply self-maintaining, was much more compact. I think this actually made browsing itself easier, as you could find your way through the page in a simpler way. The icons were also helpful.

Maybe a compromise, where we put out some icons with a few dynamic lists, and perhaps have pointers to other more detailed lists? Historybuff 08:28, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

It was a big mistake to turn the browse page over to automation. Providing a user-friendly guide to Wikiversity content is a job that requires constant community participation. Categorization of pages is just a first step. Every major category should have a user-friendly directory that serves as a guide to the contents of that category. Following the arbitrary convention established long ago at Wikipedia these directories are called portals. Members of the community should devote some of their time to special organizational projects where participants collaborate to organize Wikiversity contents. The major content development projects that support such collaboration are the Schools. --JWSchmidt 14:37, 14 February 2009 (UTC)
By Department
I am testing this:
  • the ability to limit the size by using a lift at the side, this is 300px, but could be 1000px for departments
  • drill down into sub categories. One sub category that could really be useful would be Category:Department stubs for stubs.
HenkvD 19:58, 27 February 2009 (UTC)

[edit] NICE PAGE!

NICE PAGE!!!!!!!!

[edit] Extension requested

Hi,

1. I would like to design a course and add content that is MULTIDISCIPLINARY. Can you include that as a category?

2. I am not quite sure of the other aspects of categorisation either. Like school subject (it is not a school subject), or university faculties (could be linguistics, computing or psychology), or the level, or type of resource, because it is being written with a user in mind whose interest lies in solvoing several problems in education.

See my intro under reflective thinking, which is just one term asociated with my course planned.

--Genezistan 03:45, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

You can actually include your course under all applicable categories: there is no need to limit yourself! The Jade Knight (d'viser) 17:26, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

Thanks Adviser Genezistan 03:13, 29 September 2009 (UTC)

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