Open Source Logic Homework System
Dave Gilbert (Philosophy), Kyle Mas and Tristan MacKinlay (Research Assistants)
There are two goals in this project: to create an open-source, web-based, and interactive logic textbooks, and to create an online homework system that can be used in distance education classes. The primary motivation behind this project is the high cost of textbooks as well as the reliance on the current homework system. Another motivation is based on student feedback; the number one problem that students have is that they don’t get enough one on one time with their Teaching Assistants (TAs) who often spend all of their available time marking. A side issue that comes up is plagiarism since the answers for the homework system software they are using now exist in databases and can be found by students. This project is based upon two pieces of material that currently exist. The first is an Open Access logic textbook created by Jonathan Ichikawa (which itself was based on a PD Magnus text). Gilbert is focusing on taking this text, getting it online, and incorporating widgets to that students can interact with the text. The second piece is the framework that will support the homework system. The framework is called Carnap and is based on automated marking support created by Graham Leach-Krouse (Kansas State). Gilbert has decided to use Trees as the primary proof system (currently there are no open access systems for automatic proof checking of Trees) because Trees help facilitate discussion about meta-theoretical ideas early on in their learning. In the current system, students go from studying proofs to using proofs as a tool in meta-theoretical studies which is a big jump. Using Trees introduces these concepts to students at an earlier stage and helps ease the transition. Kyle Mas worked on the development side of the widget and explained how they are using a reactive script which gives students more room to experiment with Trees. One of the biggest challenges for Gilbert in this project is supporting distance education learners. The biggest problems in this area are keeping track of students, making sure students are submitting their own work, and protecting the students’ privacy. They will be testing their project only on in-person lectures for a few semesters before they implement it in distance courses.Database of Religious History
M. Willis Monroe (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Asian Studies)
The world’s first comprehensive online quantitative and qualitative encyclopedia of religious cultural history.
The Database of Religious History (DRH) project has been going on for 5-6 years already. Although it is based in Asian Studies at UBC, they are engaging with people all over the world. Their scope covers all of space and time, and their goal is to collect everything they can by talking to experts, getting them to join and enter their data into the database. The DRH brings together scholars and has a very light gatekeeping model. The DRH functions as an encyclopedia: the entries are done by experts and you can search by location, time, or religious group. However, at its core it is still a database which allows you to look at data and revisualize it. Scholars are asked a series of 500 questions (a mixture of quantitative and qualitative) to which they answer Yes, No, I Don’t Know, or Field Doesn’t Know. There is space for the expert to provide qualitative data and add comments, sources, and images in order to back up their answer. Monroe and his team are currently in the process of adding a bibliographic management tool to enhance this aspect. There are some qualms about the role of quantification, but it allows for some interesting data analysis to take place; for example, you can check the data to see whether there are any biases in the source material and say whether they are missing data. This project provides two different forms of Open scholarship. The DRH is building up the community, creating a system that addresses the needs of scholars. It also brings up the idea of reproducible methodology in the humanities; if you’re creating a figure in your book, this is a way to give people access to that figure and the underlying data. The DRH is working with the library to archive all entries as PDFs and archive them within cIRcle with a CC-BY license. One of the challenges they encountered was in regards to translation. There are two layers to this: translating the answers and translating the questions. Ultimately, they decided not to do any translation of any of the answers and leave the qualitative comments in natural language to enable users to search for specific terms that may not translate well. The interface itself is translated into multiple languages. Another ongoing challenge arises in the area of Indigenous knowledge. Due to legal and ethical issues, there are many areas in North, Central, and South America which are empty, and Monroe’s team has a lot of conversations about ethics.Search Data by Location: Geodisy Project
Mark Goodwin (MLIS; Geospatial Metadata Coordinator), Paul Dante, (MSc (Geoscience); Software Engineer)
The goal of Geodisy is to create an open-source map-based discovery tool for research data across Canada. They aim to make Canadian research data discoverable using geographic location in addition to text. The final product will be an interactive map where users can find datasets based on location, and a long-term goal is to be an aggregate of research data from across Canada. Much of their data comes from Canada’s Federated Research Data Repository (FRDR), a place where users can go and search for data from across Canada. A portal to Geodisy is going to sit on the FRDR as an alternative method to text-based searching. Data can be hard to search for, especially if the location is an important aspect. Building text-based searches with keywords can be challenging because the geography or regions might not be clear textually. For example, being able to specify only Northern BC, but it could also be Alaska and Yukon, parks, and reserves. Geodisy will allow you to use their interactive map to zoom into the area you’re interested in. Datasets within the map window will show up and populate search results and when hovering over a record you will see a bounding box showing the area that data covers. There are also options for filtering and refining results, and you will be able to see the basic metadata, a link back to the original data source, options to download the data, and access to an enriched metadata file. All of the Geodisy code is being hosted on a public GitHub account, and it is comprised of Open source components. Currently, they are using Dataverse, Geoserver, and GeoBlacklight. They are harvesting their data and metadata from Scholars Portal Dataverse, creating ISO and JSON files, and uploading those files onto OpenGeoMetadata so that other groups can access it. These metadata files cause a challenge for Goodwin and Dante, because they are having to choose a metadata standard (a standardized series of metadata fields that describe a certain type of resource) and crosswalk (creating a bridge between different metadata standards and matching fields) the information so that it is consistent and usable. They plan to launch the project in Spring 2020 and are currently pursuing funding to expand their data sources.Downtown East Side Research Access Portal
Angela Towle (Academic Director of the Learning Exchange)
The Downtown East Side (DTES) Research Access Portal (RAP) is an Open Access portal where community members living in the DTES can search and find materials about the DTES. They approached this project from the perspective of an outsider (to UBC) and setting this portal up as a practical solution to what they are hearing in the community. Their goal is to support community-based research and the Making Research Accessible Initiative (MRAI). This initiative started in 2015 as a result of community consultations and is primarily led by the Learning Exchange with a strong partnership with UBC Library. There is also input from SFU Library and the Vancouver Public Library. The RAP will be going live in November. The Learning Exchange is UBC’s presence in the DTES where they run a variety of community programs and integrate student learning opportunities. The DTES is the historic heart of Vancouver comprised of a diverse neighbourhood (7) of many different communities (mainly low-income) undergoing rapid change. The area is infamous for associations with homelessness and residents with mental health issues. People in this community feel “researched to death” and that all of that research hasn’t resulted in any change or benefit to the community. There is a sense that it benefits research but holds little relevance to the community itself. People who had been a part of research studies weren’t able to get a hold of that research once it was published, partly because a lot of research is behind publishing paywalls. That was the starting point for the MRAI: how could they get research back in the hands of the community? The RAP is the latest development within the initiative. They have created, within cIRcle, a collection of the research published on the DTES (around 700 published and tagged since 2010). They have also been digitizing community-generated materials; people wanted access to community-generated materials and researchers aren’t aware of this (currently 100 items). There is a searchable interface and they are currently building a directory of researchers and research projects in the DTES. The question remains whether people are going to use it and what support people will need to use it. Several challenges have already risen around knowledge translation and the need to include more engaging summaries such as infographics and videos. There is going to be a pilot with a class at UBC in academic writing where students will write summaries that might be included in the project. However, community members have noted that they don’t like the term “plain language summaries” because it makes it sound like the content was dumbed down for them.Morning and Afternoon Session Talks
Here are the various presentations, workshops, and sessions that were held throughout the event:Introduction to Pressbooks for Authoring Textbooks
Are you thinking of writing an open textbook, but wondering how to start? This session will cover the basics of Pressbooks, the BCcampus system for authoring and sharing open textbooks. Learn about its core functionality, compiling front and back matter, open licencing considerations, and strategies for sharing and preserving your work. There will be hands on components so please bring a laptop.
Making your Data Open
Toying with making your research data open? Explore some of the considerations needed to ensure your data isn’t just stored in the cloud and publicly accessible, but is findable, usable, and trustworthy enough to contribute to the world of open data. From your ethics application through to final storage options we’ll look at what makes open data valuable data.
Open publishing infrastructures for open scholarship: The “Mind the Gap” study.
Open scholarship relies on open publishing infrastructure. The latter, while thematically and sometimes materially connected to open scholarship discourses, is a large and complex area of development on its own. A Mellon-funded landscape study on open-source publishing systems, “Mind the Gap” was released this past summer. The reports’ authors will present key findings from the report and discuss the possible sustainability models required to ensure these systems continue to support research communication.
Minimal computing: one approach to the challenge of computational reproducibility
Computational reproducibility is a pan-disciplinary challenge with the ubiquitous rise of digital scholarship, the use of digital tools and methods in the research process either to supplement traditional research methods or explore new approaches. For work to be computationally reproducible consideration must be placed towards the long term sustainability and shareability of both the research workflow and research outputs. One approach to addressing this issue is to embrace the concept of minimal computing which leverages light and durable computing methods and digital formats to create shareable, sustainable, research outputs. This talk will provide an overview of computational reproducibility as an issue in the research lifecycle and introduce minimal computing.
Open Allies: Exploring student-driven advocacy for OERs at UBC
As textbook costs rise, students have become engaged partners in the open education movement. With their annual #TextbookBroke campaign, the Alma Mater Society (AMS) has been able to mobilize the student voice and create change in the open education framework at UBC. Facilitated by student leadership from the AMS, we will visit the history of student advocacy for OERs and reimagine ally-ship between instructors and students in the push for open education. This session hopes to showcase student advocacy successes, like the brand-new OER fund, as well as explore strategies for students and faculty to effectively collaborate on open advocacy.