A framework for Web science didactics michalis vafopoulos
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Transcript of A framework for Web science didactics michalis vafopoulos
A framework for Web science didacticsmichalis vafopoulos
Web Science Curriculum Workshop15-16 September 2008
University of Southampton
outline
• Web science definition & epistemology• Basic elements of didactics– Didactic triangle and transposition
• Web science didactics– didactic transpositions
• Web science curricula
Web science
• taking the Web as its primary object of study• technological and other changes need to be
made in order the Web to work better for more people
Web science epistemology
• nature and scope of knowledge about the Web artifact.
Basic elements of didactics
• [def] theory and practical application of teaching and learning.
• [goal] improve teaching and learning methodologies in a specific discipline.
• is based on psychology, sociology, pedagogy, epistemology and lately in ICT.
• there is no general theory but specific disciplines (didactics of mathematics, didactics of computer science)
didactic trianglea baseline framework• knowledge content (e.g. didactic transpositions) • strategies in building knowledge and learning
content (e.g. representations etc.)• didactic environment building• didactic interactions
Didactic transposition
• transposition of disciplinary knowledge to knowledge in a form as it is to be taught and learned.
• Involves three basic stages: (a) an external transposition of scientific knowledge to
knowledge to be taught (e.g. textbooks), (b) an internal transposition of the knowledge which is
supposed to be taught to the actually taught knowledge and
(c) a feedback stage
didactic transpositions
Web science didactics
could be based on foundations:• didactics of mathematics (e.g. game theory, graphs), • didactics of computer science (e.g. programming)
and • didactics of interdisciplinary subjects (e.g. techno-
social approach)
+ new didactic transpositions are needed (“network”, “language”, “digital” and “virtual”)
Web science didactic transpositions I• Network [infrastructure-software-human] Properties of real networks are an active/popular
field of study in various disciplines such as mathematics, computer science, economics, life & social sciences etc.
aims to help scholars conceive Web’s structure, social and policy implications, topology and value creation mechanisms. They could be based in the theory of networks and game theory foundations (e.g. informative games).
Web science didactic transpositions II• Language NL is mainly used to produce, represent and
communicate knowledge based on complex polysemic bio-social structures.
Web extents these functions based on monosemic technologies (e.g. URI) and techno-social structures.
The scope of didactic transpositions in “language” is to facilitate the understanding of differences and complementarities between NL & the Web.
Web science didactic transpositions III• DigitalDigital goods are sequences of 0s and 1s which
have economic value and are nonrival, infinitely expansible, discrete, aspatial & recombinant.
A didactic transposition on the concept of “digital”
needs to make clear in an intuitive way the distinction between physical & digital goods.
Web science didactic transpositions IV• Virtualis considered to be more abstract than “digital”,
enhancing the broader meaning of virtualization, & includes human imagination mechanisms.
Didactic transpositions on the concept of “virtual” should be based on existing metaphors in social sciences, psychology & interdisciplinary didactics complemented by Web engineering principles.
More on WS didactics
• A sample didactic series could be the following:
digital network language virtual
build interconnections among these concepts under Web terms.
build Web science vocabulary.exploit didactic tools (i.e. Problem Based Learning)
stand-alone courses in Web science
• could be included in every curriculum, forming a triple with Statistics and Mathematics courses.
• could be initiated from a Web-based case study addressing a basic question in each scientific field (PBL).
• For instance, in political studies Web’s impact in electoral campaigns could trigger the discussion and analysis of the Web techno-social artifact.
Web science as a curriculum: master
1st semester 2nd semesterIntroduction to Web scienceEpistemology
Special issues in Web scienceTrust, privacy …
Web engineering IBasic issues
Web engineering IIAdvanced issues
Web programming IBasic issues
Web programming IIAdvanced issues
Webmetrics IBasic quantitative methods
Webmetrics IIAdvanced quantitative methods
Web sociology & politicsSocial & political impact
Web economics Value creation mechanisms
Transdisciplinary researchLaw, psychology, ethics, governance, …
3nd semestermaster thesis
Web science as a curriculum: bachelor1st semester 2nd semester 3rd semester 4th semester
Web engineering I Protocols Architecture W3C
Web engineering II Linked data Semantic web
Web engineering III Web 4.0/P2P/grid …
Web governance Psychology Ecology
Introduction to Web science Definition Epistemology Didactics
Web programming I Html Rdf/owl …
Web programming II Building website/
server …
Web in other sciences Psychology Ecology Biology …
Mathematics I algebra game theory
Mathematics II Discrete mathematics Logic
Webmetrics Methods …
Web economics II Business Financial Webmetrics
Statistics I Descriptive statistics …
Statistics II Advanced statistics …
Web sociology Virtualization Blogosphere …
Web Law creative commons DRM
Transdisciplinary research Joint quantitative & qualitative
methods …
Web economics I Micro-foundations Value creation …
Politics on the Web Web campaigns …
Special issues of Web science Privacy and trust Neutrality …
Curricula
• In both draft proposed curriculums it could be useful to develop dynamic semantic mappings of Web science concepts and goals, based on online tools.
• together with bachelor and master courses which refer to knowledge supply, seminars for executives in Web science could promote an increase in demand for future Web scientists.
• Ways to inter-connect WS curricula (OpenCourseWare?)