1. A framework for Web science didactics michalis vafopoulos
Web Science Curriculum Workshop
15-16 September 2008
University of Southampton

2. outline Web science definition & epistemology
Basic elements of didactics
Didactic triangle and transposition
Web science didactics
didactic transpositions
Web science curricula

3. 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

4. Web science epistemology
nature and scope of knowledge about the Web artifact.

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. didactic transpositions

9. 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”)

10. 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).

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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)

15. 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.

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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?)

19. Thanks for your attention!