Intellectual Property in an Age of Open Source and Anonymity

Current intellectual property (IP) laws are under scrutiny. The increased connectivity and sharing capabilities afforded by social networking Web 2.0 tools have added new dimensions and challenges to different sectors of society, including businesses and educational systems alike. This chapter explores why current laws do not meet the needs of a changing global community and probes into options afforded by Open Educational Resources (OER).

A Code of Ethical Conduct for Global Learning

Cyberspace is host to conflicting views of cyberethics. National boundaries and traditional social values are distorted by the influence of globalized values that are linked to technology. The inevitable change prompted by technology calls for a code of ethical conduct for the global online learning community where all stakeholders ultimately share the responsibility for student success.

Emergence of a New Identity

Online learning communities are created and sustained by a collective sense of we-ness. There are many factors however, that influence the development of the community. Cyber educators may use digitally mediated communications (DMC) that are synchronous or asynchronous to promote social presence and connectedness within the online environment. The identity of the self as well as the identity of the group must be developed in order for knowledge to be co-constructed by the group and for trust to be established. Often times, however, a new self identity emerges as part of the process.

E-Governance on a Global Campus

Nations around the world are eager to harness the power of the Internet to accomplish their agendas. Globalized efforts to define and implement a one-size fits all approach to e-governance has in turn influenced local government and the e-governance of the global campus. A customer-centric approach is needed to ensure the needs of the learner are addressed as new meta-trends are identified and new needs emerge. Visionary leadership is needed to diminish the doublethink issues exposed by technology and globalization of online learning.

Designing for Authenticity

Designing for authenticity is supported by learner-centric theoretical and pedagogical approaches. Technological advancements in digitally mediated communications now make it more feasible than ever to ensure the authenticity of online learning environments. Activities and assessments must be authentic to the learner and should provide choice, engagement, and opportunity for reflection. Authentic activities and assessments require the learner to use higher order thinking skills, collaborate, and co-construct knowledge within the learning community. Departing from traditional assessment methods minimizes academic integrity issues because learners must be able to produce tangible evidence of learning and apply real-world skills in a variety of scenarios. Authentic assessment measures learning gains by assessing the thought process behind the product and not just the product itself.

What Was Good for the Goose Is No Longer Good for the Goslings

Traditional teaching methods are outmoded. The face-to-face environment cannot be transferred online. It can only be effective if the design is learner-centric, providing opportunities for different types of interaction, flexibility, choice, collaboration, real-world skills, and learner control. The role of cyber educators is changing from a facilitator to a partner in learning. Learning in the online environment is a reciprocal exchange of knowledge between members of the community, as well as between the instructor and the learner.

Academic Integrity

Academic dishonesty is rampant and statistically rising. Academic integrity in online learning programs is of global concern. Individuals who commit academic fraud rationalize their behavior in different ways. Educators must constantly be aware of what students are doing. In the past, too many educators remained oblivious to technologies that students were using to cheat or plagiarize. Promoting academic integrity requires faculty training and then the adherence of that faculty to certain principles and policies. Some schools and institutions have developed honor codes to deter cheating incidents. Most importantly, academic integrity requires a culture of trust and honesty, which can have the strongest influence over morality and ethical behaviors. Academic integrity begins with the individual educator and must permeate the entire organization.

How Safe Is Your Identity?

Digitally mediated communications offer ease and flexibility to exchange information across a networked global community. All interactions could potentially be captured however, using different invasive technologies for spoofing, phishing, data mining, profiling, and tracking an individual’s digital fingerprints and footprints. Ultimately, the exposure of private information not only compromises an individual’s identity, security, and privacy, but also the security of organizations and governments. Nonetheless, these same technologies present unique opportunities for cyber educators to track and monitor, within e-learning platforms, the activities of students with the goal of using this data to improve the learning experience for the benefit of all learners.

The Other Side of Digitally Mediated Learning

Trust is an integral part of online learning. Learners must be able to trust the technology as well as the humans behind the technology. Anonymity provides protection and other benefits that support the co-construction of knowledge, yet there are potential tradeoffs that diminish this protection and increase the risk of deception. Cyber educators are responsible for designing and creating a safe online learning environment that promotes trust, hence increasing collaboration, student satisfaction, and improving learning outcomes.

The Use of Avatars and Virtual Worlds for Learning

Virtual environments (VEs) can be immersive (IVE) or collaborative (CVE). Networked collaborative virtual environments (NCVEs) connect participants in real time via a network. Each type of VE presents opportunities to use different combinations of technologies to design engaging learning experiences, especially using avatars. Avatars are used as forms of self-representation for students as well as instructors. Anonymity enables users to alter their identities and interact in new ways through transformed social interactions. Advancements in technology continue to humanize avatars, thus changing their role in the VE and also changing the role of the instructor.