What is a Wikiversity Course?
A wikiversity course is a learning project with Leader instructor who defines the class agenda and creates content, introduces less experienced participants the material, and coordinates some hands on activity that allows the participant to gain mastery of a subject.
The wikiversity course has been one of the big purpose of wikiversity since the beginning however, with still many participants still having large differences of vision of exactly what a course.
Nevertheless although there is not succinct, short description of a course there is a very large network of pages seeking to define wikiversity learning and teaching. From this work we can have a better understanding of what is a course.
From the start, we can and should NOT assume that a wikiversity course is like a university course. There are such large differences in wiki philosophy that although a university course can be hosted on wiki technology, wikiversity does not adopt philosophy of many the brick and mortar universities with the participants that look to wikiversity for personal learning. (sometimes called tame). Lets highlight the major differences.
In the final analysis there really is very little difference between a good wikiversity course and a good wikiversity learning project. If we as the community would cast off the stereotypes and limitations of degreed programs, prerequisites, endowing certain wv participants with 'expertise', I think this would help wikiversity grow.
It is said that there is a solid core of people in wikiversity whom want to create an accredited, more conventional area within wikiversity. This seems to me that they will have to design the program not to undermine the wikiversity collaboration that was the heart of Jimmy Wales, vision for wiki technology. I welcome people to place alternate visions here and to comment about this text.
The adage to be_bold is to recognize that frequently someone must say something boldly that other people might disagree with. This very page is about pointing out that no one individual has the right to say; this is the correct on only way to look at this topic. So I welcome your unique view here. if you disagree with what I have written lets talk about it in the discussion tab.
The idea of an active course is an odd one in wikiversity. Since a course has no beginning and ending dates and is open to all interested individuals; courses can be defined withoout students and can therefore still active without participation. of course there is a clear difference between abandoned courses and active courses (with no current students). Here are some guidelines that determine whether a course is an active one.
please feel free to put down any course that you think meets this criteria.