Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2020 March 3

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March 3

Place that pairs in-demand tasks with learning

Dear volunteers,

Two students and I are starting a project. The fundamental principle behind the project is that highest quality education is available online, and it is not being utilized to its full potential. I want to make a place where concrete things that need to be done will be matched to the learning path towards skills required to get them done. This learning path will be accompanied by freely available online resources.

Sites like upwork exist, but they merely present the things that need to be done. They are not learner friendly. You need to have already established knowledge in order to participate. What I want is a place with a higher focus on learning. So, instead of only presenting a task that needs to be done, every task would have an automatically generated learning path attached. Furthermore, each user would have a profile. As the user learns, the profile gets updated. The profiles would show what the individual has learned, and would serve as means of certification.

The project is in the planning and prototyping stage.

I have 3 questions.

1. Does a place doing anything akin to this already exist?

2. We have nothing in terms of financial or mentorship support. I understand that we would need to work for it, but are there any opportunities to get any sort of support? Wikimedia's support would be most preferable, because our goals are aligned. (We are from Croatia, if that means anything)

3. Do you see any major pitfalls that would make the type of thing I described impossible?

Thank you for your time. Ribaricplusplus (talk) 17:36, 3 March 2020 (UTC)

Do I get it right that this would be what is called project-based learning? Although you did not state this, I assume that you intend to use the web as the main medium. If such a place exists I am not aware of it, but that does not mean much. Have a look at crowdfunding; some amazing things have been funded that way. And there are zillions of philanthropic funds that are looking for good ideas to award grants to. The idea as you describe it is still a bit vague to me while looking at the same time perhaps impossibly broad. I suggest that you work on developing a few scenarios describing (hypothetical) meaningful tasks or projects of the kind you hope would be initiated and successfully realized using your envisaged website. That will help to make it a bit more concrete to others. There are so many issues that need further elaboration. Who, in your model, would contribute the task descriptions and who would ensure the availability of matching and suitable educational material? Are you thinking of tasks to be undertaken by a single person, or can these be group projects? Will participants receive feedback? And so on...  --Lambiam 21:41, 3 March 2020 (UTC)