Adapting CBPP platforms for instructional use

Abstract

Commons based peer-production (CBPP) is the de-centralized, net-based approach to the creation and dissemination of information resources. Underlying every CBPP system is a virtual community brought together by an internet tool (such as a web site) and structured by a specific collaboration protocol. In this talk we will argue that the value of such platforms can be leveraged by adapting them for pedagogical purposes. We report on one such recent adaptation. The Noosphere system is a web-based collaboration environment that underlies the popular Planetmath website, a collaboratively written encyclopedia of mathematics licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License (FDL). Recently, the system was used to host a graduate-level mathematics course at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada. The course consisted of regular lectures and assignment problems. The students in the course collaborated on a set of course notes, encapsulating the lecture content and giving solutions of assigned problems. The successful outcome of this experiment demonstrated that a dedicated Noosphere system is well suited for classroom applications. We argue that this ``proof of concept'' experience also strongly suggests that every successful CBPP platform possesses latent pedagogical value.