edu.science news

To build an eLearning system that is in consistency with user’s needs, it helps to watch the latest trends and developments. This is especially true for all developments on the p2p front, as file sharing behaviour is a good indicator for what users want. Now, don’t get me wrong - this does not necessarily mean that this is also exactly what they will get - but it helps. The acceptance of a given system - not only “forced” usage - directly affects the time and effort going into it by it’s users - and that is the difference between an empty system with educators being the only ones providing content (except through “forced” cooperation by students) and a living community…

This said, the latest developments in the endless PirateBay saga again show, how an idea or behaviour, once accepted by the majority, will be continued even if the original impulse is no longer there. Similar to the Napster case, derivate providers take up seamlessly where PirateBay left off. The only effect is to drive the providers underground and make it more difficult to get out of this vicious circle.

For those, who did not follow the case, here the short version: after the verdict, which will be appealed, Global Gaming Factory X bought the domain. Since then, more and more torents are copied over to the three new incarnations: OpenBitTorrent (OBT), PublicBitTorrent (PBT) and finally TheHiddenTracker (THT), which uses Anonymizers to protect the developers and users from further legal claims (see Telepolis for further details). This leaves the crusaders from the RIA and MPAA empty-handed while the transition is nearly complete.

So it is not useful to build up eLearning Systems which leave user’s needs out and force them to build up their own websites for digitalization, ressource sharing and so on outside of the eLearning system - a total waste on both sides. If the system would be flexible, allow for privacy and some flexibility, would be at least part-open and trying to aid users (e.g. backup of their social web data, publications, FAQs, assignment readers etc), this could change. A prerequisite would be, that the access to the data is guaranteed for any student for life…

So why is this happening? One of the main reasons why this is happening is the distrust of students for their own institutions. The collaboration of institutions with law enforcement without even trying to protect it’s users - e.g. by providing self-hosted mailboxes (whose user data is much better protected) or choose not to save traffic data in logs (as some providers in the nordic countries choose to do) makes collaboration difficult and hampers the will to participate which is necessary for any system to flourish.

So, a new approach would be wise - at least that’s what I think. Comments welcome.

We don’t have to re-invent the wheel - so after playing arounbd with a variety of Facebook-Plugins, following this post are the ones which seem to be promising. The reason for facebook-integration is clear: convenience!!! While it is a privacy problem to a certain extent, it is also the fastest way to get people from all over the world connect and compare their individual courses - and that is one of the goals of the edu.sci project. If similar courses would share - or people at least take a look at - other course resources, we expect a benefit for all involved. Therefore we provide edu.sci as a platform and facebook, StudiVZ et al as the social connection. Think about it - this is much more powerful than a closed system… and we will be integrating it when we start building the first courses for a real semester in september.

Here the promised list:

Ask Questions, Get Answers – Ask people on Facebook and perhaps they will help you with your coursework

Easy Bibliography Generator – If EndNote or Citavi are too expensive, BibTEX is not for you and you need a formatted bibliography (MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian) tomorrow - try this.

Notely – Notely is a time management system with to-do lists, calendar etc and helps you organizing you coursework. To Do List is a little plugin for lists.

Scholarium – This is a new plugin for an eLearning system which lets you look an your friend’s timetables, rate profs, find co-students etc. It is similar to StudiVZs functionality…

Zoho – Zoho Online Office is exactly that - writer, spreadsheet, presentation application easy to use through your browser - for 1 person or groups.

Web: More

The spectre of Plagiarism is again spooking around in some minds. While it would be better to ensure that there is ample time and qualified personel for individual coaching of aspiring academics at hand, it is oh so much easier to just leave them out in the open and then use a plagiarism finder to shoot them down. What a victory for justitia and the academic spirit.

Some students tested the value of their intellectual property over commercial interests in a recent case. The court decision stated, that over the copyrightholder’s objections, commercial plagiarism software can archive texts for future reference under the US law’s “fair use” clause.

What an irony, when remixing music is not fair use, but the commercial exploitation of student papers without further compensation is (yes, I know, they are not published per se), just because they are not represented by politicians and lobbyists. When the digital copy has so much value that a whole industry is scared, it is only reasonable, that I can decide what to do with my electronic property. In this new economy, I might make money with my videos, pictures, blogs and yes, my great or awful papers. This is an important lession to be learned by students.

Don’t get me wrong. I am very much in favor of “open access”, “filesharing” and “fair use” as instruments for an egalitarian education or as a society model. But I don’t see how this benefits anyone except companies who profit from other’s free labor. And that is a problem if this “liberal approach” does not work two ways.  Reciprocity rules.

I would enforce some rules for educators, too, when they use these services, de facto stating their general mistrust of the students they are entrusted with and should help to shape for an academic future. They are based upon a balance of mistrust democratically spread through a system to poison the important relation between teacher and student, just so there is any balance in the system if not any sense:

First, all papers of the educator in question are to be fed into the system. Second, the findings of the plagiarism test are to be published for anyone to see…   ;)  and then, you are allowed to use it on other persons.

Or for a more practical solution: If you have to use such software, give the students anonymous access to check their papers BEFORE turning them in. The system could then just send a receipt, that the paper XYZ has been checked and is not infected with the poisonous disease we know as plagiarism. In addition, the software must allow the copyright holder to decide, if he wants his paper stored or not. Send them both to your professor and a) you don`t have to discipline over-eager students, b) they learn something by re-submitting their work after a close call and c) the copyright holder himself has control over the system (deciding, if his paper should be stored or not). Voila. No punishment, but still a benefit. How about that for a change…?!

• Federal decision (PDF)
• 2002 opinion (PDF) from law firm Foley & Lardner
• iParadigms CEO John Barrie interview
• Wired / ArsTechnica

While the endless and senseless war “against” filesharing (anybody knows how a net without filesharing could fulfill its purpose?!)  goes into another round, the innocent bystanders produce interesting articles and comments. Filesharing is essential for successful eLearning, as it is important in Science and for exchange of information in a free society.

• House committee reopens its investigation into security risks posed by file-sharing (April 21, 2009, LA Times)
• EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) on Filesharing (collection of news and articles)
• The Impact of Music Downloads and P2P File-Sharing on the Purchase of Music (Mai 2007, via elib.at)
• Impact of Music Downloads on Purchases of Music in Canada - Andersen - Frenz - 2008 (via elib.at)
• Gesetze zum geistigen Eigentum - Dtld-EU-Int - Till Kreutzer - 2007 (Lgeal analysis, via elib.at)
• James Boyle, The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind (gutenberg.org, pdf)