User talk:RichMac

Degree programs
Hi RichMac, I've just now seen your comments on your user page. First of all, I find it very interesting that you're researching degree programs. It could be interesting to see how these programs work - how much face-to-face and online learning they provide for, or whether they interface with other organisations, for example. On the latter point here I'm thinking specifically about a potential answer to your question about whether or not it would be possible to get a degree from Wikiversity. This, most of us have recognised, is a dim prospect on the horizon, if at all. But how about the idea I had of having material and activities within Wikiversity that people would undertake, and, when completed, would get some sort of certification from an accredited institution (or credit towards their degree, or whatever)? This would require some sort of partnership with an already accredited institution. Still, some people have hopes of developing accreditation for Wikiversity, or parts of Wikiversity - see Accreditation and Wikihigh for examples. Cormaggio 10:48, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

MIT philosophy course
I would be willing to work with you on "digesting" some of the content of that course, maybe we could work on Wikiversity pages such as Initial Questions as we go along. I'm particularly interested in the material starting with session #9 "Scientific Reason or Scientific Faith?" and then on into the "Freewill, Determinism, and Responsibility" section. I want to develop Science as Religion and I want to make a learning resource called Free Will as control that would explore Daniel Dennett's ideas about free will. I wonder why the notes for "Consciousness and Felt Experience" and "Materialist Options" are not online. I'm interested in creating pages for those topics here at Wikiversity, maybe starting at Topic:Philosophy of Mind. --JWSchmidt 03:21, 21 October 2006 (UTC)
 * I once sat in on a philosophy of mind course, and I have read a few books by philosophers. --JWSchmidt 05:09, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Hi RichMac
I sometimes wonder about who else wanders these corridors; so I thought I'd introduce myself.

I'm executivezen and I too am intrigued by the potential of Wikiversity, though I'm not sure I'd want Wikiversity to offer degrees. I suppose I have slightly more anarchic wishes for this venture, namely that Wikiversity will not feel the need to be degree granting, nor that it's users will fall for the orthodoxy of traditional education. I guess that's okay for me to say; I've an undergraduate degree (Philosophy) and masters degree (management learning) from bricks & mortar universities; pretty orthodox I suppose. What intrigues me more about this place are the potentials around democracy and liberalism and how these impact learning. I'm not sure if this can be classed as education or edification. I prefer the latter. I'm a fan of the pragmatism of Richard Rorty, who uses 'edification' instead of education to describe his non-foundational beliefs for philosophy. Edification, I think, carries less of an agenda than education, which is a political hot potatoe.

Anyway, happy to find out more about your views about degree awarding. --executivezen 19:43, 21 October 2006 (UTC)

Hello, accreditation eh?
I am unsure if I'm for or against accreditation, but it would be nice to think that Wikiversity could offer an all-round learning experience for persons who would otherwise not have the opportunity to experience it. There should be ideas galore on how to learn, where to look, and discussions between learners on what they have learned. There should be a place where people can submit their proofs of their learning and have them critiqued by others, such as articles, papers, illustrations, movies, whatever. The collaborative learning environment should make it easy for learners to come together, find their in-groups, and both learn and help others to learn through production, requesting critique, and improving one's own abilities. It's an exciting prospect, and those without the access to bricks and mortar education might profit greatly by it.--Dnjkirk 16:22, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Suggestions
Hi there! Your userpage page intrigues me. Hmm...Canada...degree... - have you heard of this before? :-) --HappyCamper 17:17, 10 November 2006 (UTC)


 * Hi again...Wikiversity needs you. Are you around these days? --HappyCamper 00:06, 27 November 2006 (UTC)