Wikiversity:Network naming conventions

To keep pages of different varieties organized on Wikiversity, a series of naming conventions has been suggested.

This page is proposed as an alternative to the Naming conventions page.

This page proposes a simplified three-level network system for the organization of all Wikiversity content, the network level elements being: school, area and learning project.

For anything not covered on this page, use Wikipedia conventions. Wikiversity has just a few schools. Wikiversity has many topics. A Wikiversity topic can be an area or space or field or sub-field.

Schools
Schools are part of a three-level system for the organization of Wikiversity content.

Schools on Wikiversity are content development projects that organize the efforts of many topic areas. Schools can promote collaboration between Wikiversity participants who are interested in related topics. Some schools at Wikiversity are large organizational units such as life sciences. The main page for schools should link to their smaller study areas. A school does not contain other schools.

More than one Wikiversity school can 'contain' the same topic. Those schools should cooperate to develop the topics that they have in common.

Groups of topics may form interdisciplinary units.

The name for a school page always starts with the School: prefix. For example, School:Life Sciences.

The main page for each Wikiversity school can be started with Template:School boilerplate.

Topic namespace
"Topic" is a generic term at Wikiversity; pages in the Topic: namespace can serve as content development projects for narrow academic topics (similar to Wikipedia "wikiprojects". The "Topic" namespace is for organization of the work of Wikiversity content producers. The names of topic pages always start with the "Topic:" prefix. Example of a topic page: Topic:Cell Biology.

"Topic:" pages can be called "Departments", "Center", "Divisions" or any other term desired by those collaborating in that topic area.

The main page for each Wikiversity department can be started with Template:Department boilerplate.

Learning resources
Learning resources are the lowest level in the hierarchy. Two types of learning resources are lessons and research projects. Lessons and research projects are placed into pages in the main namespace (these page names have no prefix). Learning resource pages are linked to from areas.

More than one Wikiversity "Topic:" page can 'contain' (link to) the same learning resource; content development projects should cooperate to develop the learning resources that they have in common.

Note: learning resources are of two main types, "materials" and "projects"; see Portal:Learning Projects.

Lessons
Lessons are common elements in Learning Resources.

Course numbers should not be used to indicate the name of a lesson. The name of a lesson should describe the topic being taught, so instead of saying "Wiki 101", the name of the lesson should be "Introduction to Wiki". Lesson pages are defined as "main namespace pages that serve to be read and to educate and provide information."

Lessons should be linked to from "Topic:" pages and portal pages. Each lesson should have a unique title, for example The rise of the Roman Empire and The Fall of Rome.

Research projects
Research projects are pages in the main namespace as well, only involve collaborative research to achieve a certain goal. Research projects are one type of Wikiversity learning project.