A framework for Web science didactics michalis vafopoulos Web Science Curriculum Workshop 15-16 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 triangle a 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: 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 Digital Digital 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 Virtual is 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.

digital network language virtual 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 semester Introduction to Web science Epistemology Special issues in Web science Trust, privacy … Web engineering I Basic issues Web engineering II Advanced issues Web programming I Web programming II Webmetrics I Basic quantitative methods Webmetrics II Advanced quantitative methods Web sociology & politics Social & political impact Web economics Value creation mechanisms Transdisciplinary research Law, psychology, ethics, governance, … 3nd semester master thesis

Web science as a curriculum: bachelor 1st 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 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?)

Thanks for your attention! vaf@aegean.gr