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Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship/Dave Braunschweig

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Dave Braunschweig (talk • email • contribs • stats • logs • global account)

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I'd like to nominate Dave Braunschweig for probationary custodianship. Dave has been contributing significantly to main space learning materials and has been an active contributor to the Colloquium and Wikiversity space discussions, as well being an experienced educator and IT expert. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:34, 4 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

checkY Done This starts the 4 week period of probationary custodianship. My apologies for the lengthy delay. I was hoping another bureaucrat would activate as I have nominated and offered to mentor (I would generally prefer someone else to add the custodian rights), but we clearly need more active custodians. [1] -- Jtneill - Talk - c 23:00, 4 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Questions

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  1. What are your best contributions to Wikiversity , and why? --Tito Dutta (Talk) 10:44, 26 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
    My best contribution to Wikiversity so far is Internet Protocol Analysis. It exemplifies how OER content can be used to replace a textbook and how Wikiversity can be used to provide active learning opportunities rather than simple article learning. The result is much more effective for real-world students, and should also be effective for dedicated Wiki learners. The course is still generating an average of 5 hits a day six months after it was completed. My other contributions are more scattered, creating and cleaning up templates, adding categories to content I am familiar with, and participating in the Colloquium as time allows. -- Dave Braunschweig (discuss • contribs) 14:14, 26 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  2. You have recently supported a speedy deletion request, did you notice that that the same article is being discussed at RFD Wikiversity:Requests_for_Deletion#Kedar_Joshi? --Tito Dutta (Talk) 10:44, 26 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
    Yes, I had seen Wikiversity:Requests_for_Deletion#Kedar_Joshi at one point, but had not reviewed the article itself until yesterday. I did a couple of quick searches to find the deletion discussion again but was unsuccessful, so I commented on the article instead. -- Dave Braunschweig (discuss • contribs) 14:14, 26 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
    You first answer looks very good, and the second answer, not so much! I don't know how you tried to search, directly visiting WV:RFD or searching with Kedar Joshi prefix:Wikiversity:Requests for Deletion could be helpful! --Tito Dutta (Talk) 18:42, 26 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]
    I understand that this is an issue that interests you. However, the search method wasn't relevant, as I was specifically requested by User:Draubb to review his recent efforts. His comments were on the article itself, and I followed up there. -- Dave Braunschweig (discuss • contribs) 01:02, 27 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comments

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As I mentioned to James, if he's willing to nominate and mentor me, and the community is willing to have me, I'd be honored to support Wikiversity as a probationary custodian. I'm relatively new to the community, having only been active since October 2012. However, I've been quite active since then with a complete course developed and a variety of other edits, including several templates.

My "real-world" students have indicated that they prefer the Wikiversity course format to the textbook series they were using previously, and their mastery of the material is better so far with Wikiversity than with the equivalent textbook material. So, I'm now a strong advocate for Wikiversity. The best example of my approach to course development can be found at Introduction to Open Educational Resources, something I wrote to help encourage fellow educators to develop OER. I would sum up the approach as: Use existing resources where possible and provide active learning opportunities to help learners master and apply the concepts.

In terms of agenda as a Custodian, I don't have one other than to help support the community. But I do have several decades of experience supporting computer systems and users. If you review some of the discussion threads I've participated in, you'll find I'm big on a consensus approach to Wikiversity. And being a relative newcomer myself, I'm sensitive to those just getting started, and thankful that no one bit me when I made some of my first edits.

I'm sure I still have a lot to learn, but if approved, I'll do my best to help out where I can.

-- Dave Braunschweig (discuss • contribs) 23:58, 4 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Custodians willing to mentor

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I'm willing to mentor. Dave has indicated his willingness/acceptance here. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 11:34, 4 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Probationary custodian period started

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Mentor's recommendation for full custodian status

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Per the mentor's permission, I am nominating User:Dave Braunschweig for full custodian status. During an extended mentorship period, far beyond the norm, Dave has continued to tirelessly serve the Wikiversity community. I'll specially note this action, clear, moderate, and correct.

CentralAuth shows 14,500 edits to Wikiversity today, which includes deleted edits. As a custodian, Dave does not normally delete pages unilaterally, other than the usual spam or vandalism, but when he finds a problem page, he may nominate it with Template:Proposed deletion. As he is the only reliably active custodian, and after the period expires with no user removing the template, he does delete, and this then gives him a high deleted edit count, currently 1,202 (see edit stats below). In one case, I questioned a deletion of his, based on a speedy deletion request by another user, and he immediately undeleted for discussion.

Sysop actions:

I have no hesitation recommending Dave as a permanent custodian. --Abd (discuss • contribs) 15:45, 29 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion and questions

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Questions to and discussion of the candidate.

Voting for full custodianship

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Discussions are archived for review purposes. Please start a new discussion to discuss the topic further.
Closed as successful, see final comment. --Abd (discuss • contribs) 00:43, 19 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Please enter vote and a brief comment here.

Support
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  1. Support I know the task and Dave Braunschweig is technically and humanely qualified. JackPotte (discuss • contribs) 20:15, 29 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Support Why not? --Goldenburg111 20:25, 29 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  3. Support Dave has gone above and beyond. Happy to support! --Marshallsumter (discuss • contribs) 22:00, 29 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Support as nominator (serving in place of the mentor). --Abd (discuss • contribs) 03:02, 30 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Support He has always been helpful to me. --guyvan52 (discuss • contribs) 14:47, 5 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Support He has my support --1sfoerster (discuss • contribs) 16:40, 5 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  7. Support Very helpful to new user (actually new privatizing handle for User:Geofferybard ) more familiar with WP & WB. (voting only once) K9Alliance2Train
  8. Support I do support Dave This comment added by User:Zionite lewis 12:35, 6 September 2014‎. just registered, with no other contributions at this time, here or globally. --Abd (discuss • contribs) 14:55, 6 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  9. Support Has been helpful to me as a new user and offered help where he thought it may be needed - I think he'd make a good admin. Khairdean (discuss • contribs) 10:31, 7 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  10. Support Besides creating great content like the Internet Protocol Analysis course and being on the good side of the OER force he helped User:Sebschlicht and me a lot with his technical knowledge about Mediawiki. After creating the web science mooc (first version in the topic name space) and current version in the article name space which included (lua, javascript, templates and the possibility to think about bots) I would consider myself as a power user and Dave was always helpful. Besides that I am a custodian on trial in the German wikiversity and I also think (from the little that I saw) that Dave has the communication strength to fulfill the job. --Renepick (discuss • contribs) 08:01, 8 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Oppose
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  1. Oppose - Abusive language and unwarranted pressure from him and abd on my userpage. They were both supporting action that was clearly wrong. Again, I'm not judging a person's tendencies, but I'm judging that someone wants to make Wikiversity a place to encourage such behavior. Abd wants to turn this place into anarchy, and work with whoever supports his bent logic. I've taken a break since then. If this harms my chances, so be it, IT HAS TO BE SAID! - Sidelight12 Talk 03:38, 8 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Could you please explain what you mean by "abusive language"? I don't remember him using vulgar language or personally attacking you. --Goldenburg111 23:33, 10 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Condescending badgering. Accusing me of imposing my values on others, while he did it even worse, and even allowed another user to impose their own values unto others. Wikiversity isn't a place to soapbox pedophilia, which would be what one user was trying to impose their values unto others here. Dave lecturing me about his values on the community, is him imposing his values, when I took action against someone imposing their values. - Sidelight12 Talk 06:31, 11 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Links or comments please? --Goldenburg111 11:33, 11 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I am responding to this on a separate page, because there are privacy considerations. See /Privacy issue. Please do not discuss this topic here, it can lead to revision deletion. --Abd (discuss • contribs) 12:19, 11 September 2014 (UTC)I replaced the specific mention of the topic with "this topic" after Sidelight's response below.--Abd (discuss • contribs) 12:12, 12 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Let me get this straight. You want this redacted, but if I want something embarrassing redacted from my userpage, that's not ok? Such hypocrisy. - Sidelight12 Talk 03:08, 12 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Not straight. Sidelight has never understood user page policy, and he may blank and request revision deletion of comments there. Generally, he should not revision-delete them himself, that that would depend on the case. Sidelight's comments on meta were just redacted.[2] Were I not involved here, I'd have blanked his comment myself. --Abd (discuss • contribs) 12:12, 12 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
There are no links to abusive language, because there never was any. Sidelight12's issues with my approach have to do with perception rather than reality. I'm an educator. As an educator, I ask questions, allowing others to form their own opinions. It's known as the Socratic method. I've used it in my interactions with Goldenburg111, and I've used it with my interactions with Sidelight12. What I may or may not personally believe has nothing to do with the questions I ask. However, Sidelight12 is more literal in his interpretation, and is confident that a question would never be asked unless someone already has a preconceived direction for the conversation. It's unfortunate, but that's his perception and his reality. It doesn't have to influence the rest of us. -- Dave Braunschweig (discuss • contribs) 12:37, 11 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I've explained this above. [3] Condescending badgering, and false accusations. - Sidelight12 Talk 03:08, 12 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Sidelight links to a clear and cogent comment by Dave on User talk:Sidelight. "Condescending" is false, it was not "badgering," which requires repeated action, and Sidelight has not shown any falsity. Making false comments is not an offense unless they are deliberately false, i.e., lying. Sidelight is a probationary custodian and as such must be responsive to the community. --Abd (discuss • contribs) 12:12, 12 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I am not an educator in any academic institution, but I'm a highly trained and successful coach in a non-academic system of education. I've raised five children to adulthood, seeing that they got what they needed to live well (and they are living well, and I have six grandchildren), and I also have two minor children, one of whom lives with me and who is officially "home schooled." In fact, she is responsible for her own education, and she is mostly "learning by doing," and doing spectacularly well, by all measures. Dave's expression above demonstrates why I fully support Dave's work here.
There are those who will oppose this (on this wiki and in real life). I'd rather not generalize about them. They are in a minority here; this candidacy shows just how isolated that opposition is, and that is good news for Wikiversity, founded with ideals of academic freedom and "learning by doing," as distinct from "schooling." There is nothing wrong with schools, as long as they are not abusively authoritarian, but there is a whole unschooling movement, and there is academic research supporting it. --Abd (discuss • contribs) 13:33, 11 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Neutral
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  1. All I can see are a lot of page moves and very little admin work besides basic cleanup deletions. Why do you want to be an admin? Ottava Rima (talk) 03:37, 10 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
    I don't want to be an admin. I'd like to be a custodian. And as I indicated above a year ago, I don't have an agenda as a custodian other than to help support the community. That view hasn't changed. But with an additional year of experience behind me, I can say I believe even more strongly that Wikiversity has tremendous possibilities in providing effective Open Educational Resource content and learning opportunities to the world. Web Science is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with dedicated effort and adequate support. Other approaches include Physics equations and the Introduction to Engineering Design-related projects. But these projects can't succeed without custodial support to answer questions, mass-move content when required, delete content created in error or in violation, and block disruptive users.
    In addition, Wikiversity needs to improve on training and supporting new custodians. We have 31 custodians and bureaucrats listed in our ranks, but only a handful are currently active editors, and there's very little custodial activity involved. We need to be continually looking to effectively expand our custodial support ranks to help meet what should be a rising need and demand. That can't happen without permanent custodians who are willing to mentor.
    Dave Braunschweig (discuss • contribs) 04:33, 10 September 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Other comment
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  • Closed as successful. Dave Braunschweig is now a permanent custodian. (Involved close, by necessity, if possible this should be confirmed by a bureaucrat or an uninvolved user. Because consensus is obvious, this close should not be reverted.) --Abd (discuss • contribs)
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