Initial take
Pete,
I made edits to the proposal in the new rich text editor, pressed "ok", and they didn't save...hmm. I'll revisit later and add them back in using the old fashioned editor.
Overall, I have a few comments. (note: thus far I've only read up to the "phase" part): The initial part of the proposal defines well the deficiencies of the current system - or lack thereof - for capturing, sharing, and using OE; and of course it covers very well the deficiencies of WP content on OE. Suggestions:
1) The proposal would be strengthened if it addressed "why" OE history is compelling for a) broader audience; b) other related movements in the open ecosystem; c) OE itself, now and in the future. And therefore, why we need to systematically document and share this history. For instance, I'd want to see the following acknowledged or addressed: 1) what does OE history and evolution teach us about the rise and importance of collaboration across a field of practice and what are the key learnings from OE's evolution that can inform future practitioners and other fields on how to do things and how not to do things (for instance, duplication of effort among various OER projects); 2) there has been a lot of consensus making at a national if not international policy level in OE - this is valuable to document and an example of how people from a broad range of sectors can come together to create something that is larger than the sum of its parts, on a universally accessible platform to boot; 3) what does OE history and its projects tell us about the mind shift to a collective, open, and shared, global knowledge base that is increasingly at odds with the traditional structures of our educational system? etc.
2) Perhaps this is included later in the proposal and I haven't reached it yet, but the proposal should give a big nod to efforts that have already been undertaken to understand the OE collective, map OER projects, etc. How is this project ultimately distinct from previous efforts, and unique?
3) Without getting into detail - as it's somewhat self-evident - you might describe the vast impact/reach of Wikipedia in numbers and how this makes WP the ideal "venue" for info on OE. I would also want to see general thoughts on the plans to disseminate or market, if you will, WP OE content (when developed) among communities that could use it to inform their respective practices and among the OE community itself. (again, perhaps answered later in the proposal but it might deserve a mention early on). Saraanine 20:38, 28 January 2012 (UTC)
Great insights, Sara -- thank you. I'm working through this now. -Peteforsyth 02:06, 30 January 2012 (UTC)
