OER creation

Content that is mediated via OER on the basis of Mediawiki software can sometimes also be understood as a specific genre of text. The resulting text is dynamic and variable; in this context, there is the option of third-dimension (3D) reading, as – aside from offering classic linear text reading – it also allows the user to “click through” or “skip” to associated topics. This is made possible primarily thanks to the hypertext environment, hyperlinks, and redirection to other associated pages. 

Although hypertext technology was created with the development of computers in the second half of the 20th century, the idea of redirecting a text or other relevant parts of it is older. This innovation was created by Ephraim Chambers, who published his two-volume Cyclopædia or “universal dictionary” of arts and sciences in 1728. This Cyclopædia, which contains a wide range of processed topics, was an innovation in the placement of cross-references to other sections of articles. French encyclopedia makers also took inspiration from this. Encyclopedia editor-in-chief Denis Diderot saw the ideal encyclopedia as an index of entries; the aim was not only to describe individual topics, but also the relationship between them (via cross referencing). Encyclopedia authors thus strove for readers to understand contexts, which today is called interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary thinking. Modern technologies like OER MWS have innovated the idea of cross referencing into the form of hypertext. 

The next aspect that is linked to the creation of OER based upon Mediawiki software and makes it to a certain degree a “new genre” is the collaborative process of text creation and the ease of citing statements (via a hyperlink, the cited text can be easily accessed). The collaborative process of creating articles exceeds the classic editing process of texts in its extent and significance. This is linked to the form of articles, which are often not merely brief definitions of the problem as is common with classic encyclopedias. Some are often highly extensive and are more reminiscent in their content and detailed processing of a scientific publication or an introduction in scientific articles rather than an encyclopedia article. The introduction in many entries is often similar to the abstract of a scientific article, which summarizes the whole topic of the article. 

With regard to the fact that the final text does not have a final “guarantor of quality”, an editor or senior editor, it remains to a certain degree in its creation phase. This may often result in a certain unorganized or even chaotic nature of the text, which manifests itself, for example, in the incongruity of individual sentences within the overall context, which makes reading it more difficult. On the other hand, the fact that there is no guarantor of the final text’s quality heightens pressure on the quality of the individual sections. This is primarily evident in Wikipedia, where long disputes are commonly led over things like a single statement or its verifiability by respected sources. There is proof that articles seen by the Wikipedia community as being of the highest quality are also ones that are the best cited (see the table and figure below). 

Table. The median number of edits, editors, words, references and ratio of number of words to number of references to environmental articles on English-language Wikipedia illustrates that the highest-quality articles (according to the Wikipedia community’s evaluation) are significantly different from those of lower quality in all these regards. Number of analyzed articles: 7,048 (Petiška et al., in the process of publication).

Figure. The ratio of number of words to number of references in environmental articles on English-language Wikipedia. Blue is used for articles perceived by the Wikipedia community as being of the highest quality; red is for articles perceived as being of average quality; and green is for articles perceived by the community as being of the lowest quality. The vertical axis shows the number of references; the horizontal axis shows the number of words. Number of analyzed articles: 7,048 (Petiška et al., in the process of publication).

These articles often do not give the impression of a cohesive text, but rather a list of individual statements. Therefore, we can often understand Wikipedia as a search engine of important knowledge and sources on various topics rather than an encyclopedia with rigidly set rules that guarantee an internally coherent text. 

Hypertext plays a significant role in creating OER MWS. Just like other digital resources, hypertext is one of the primary commodities of OER MWS as compared to classic study resources such as printed study materials. If hypertext is used in the creation of text, it can have a strongly positive effect. We can define three primary advantages that hypertext offers in the creation and use of OER:

1. Interdisciplinary thinking. With hypertext, it is easy to redirect the reader to associated topics, leading them towards a holistic way of thinking in context. The reader is not studying only the given material, but is presented with the broader context and chains of events. 

2. Inclusive approach. Hypertext helps to create a certain democratization of study material. It is possible to give more complex texts to students who are less educated in the given issue. If they don’t understand a certain expression, they can click on it and learn about it. On the contrary, readers who are more educated do not have to be slowed down by useless explanations of what they already know. In regard to the fact that today’s students come from varying cultural and social environments, studying from OER WMS, which makes adequate use of hypertext, can help them unify their knowledge to the required level. Hypertext can also serve as a kind of glossary of unknown terms. 

3. Verifiability of statements. Thanks to hypertext, statements in an article can be easily labelled via the source listed next to it. With one click, anyone can verify whether a statement is truly contained in a given source and potentially read it in the relevant context.