[Foundation-l] Wikiversity

Thu Aug 17 11:55:18 UTC 2006

On 8/17/06, Amgine <amgine at saewyc.net> wrote:
>
> On 16-Aug-06, at 12:00 PM, Cormac Lawler wrote:
>
> > So, if there's a conclusion to this mail, it would be: I'm not arguing
> > for a simple dismissal about all we know and have learned about NPOV.
> > I'm simply saying that it will not _always_ be a useful policy to
> > impose throughout the process of learning. I'm yearning for a better
> > concept - or perhaps we simply have to invest NPOV with new meaning in
> > order to tailor it to Wikiversity's particular identity.
>
> As you're aware, I'm extremely bothered by this approach to defining
> Wikiversity. It seems to me to say "let's not put any strictures on
> Wikiversity, no requirements or expectations, but let it grow
> organically." This sound nifty in theory, but results in nothing
> because there are no expectations, no hurdles, nothing to accomplish.
> You can't even measure if it has accomplished this nothingness.
>
> Wikversity should have goals. They should be measurable. The project
> needs to meet the minimum standards of the Wikimedia Foundation;
> fundamental in this is a commitment to avoiding support of any one
> POV, to be verifiable (where this is an option) and to be free.
>
> Throwing crap at a wall until some of it sticks means you deal with a
> lot of crap. Let's be a bit more discerning than that, please.
>

I expect Wikiversity to provide the world with quality educational
resources, as well as a space within which to learn. No, scratch that,
*everybody* expects (or should expect) this to be the case.

I'm not arguing that material will aim to be "non-NPOV". I've been
instead saying that we should be flexible enough to allow for various
types of material within different pedagogical frameworks to combine
in order to provide for a real education. However, throughout this
discussion, I've been thinking about ways in which to manage this
complexity, and make it explicitly a part of the introduction to
Wikiversity. Can you either trust us to work this out, or will you
help in developing this yourself?

Cormac