University 2.0

Web 2.0 has received a lot of attention in the last years. Here is a compact definition from Tim O’Reilly:
“Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this: Build applications that harness network effects to get better the more people use them.”
In contrast to much of the development in computing, the initiative for Web 2.0 has come from individuals and loose communities, and not from business or defense. Only recently, ideas from Web 2.0 has moved into business under the banner of Enterprise 2.0.
But how can Web 2.0 be applied in universities? The university environment should provide an ideal environment for realizing the networking required in Web 2.0 through its openness, creativity and lots of people with a lot of spare time :-). However, we need much experimentation before knowing which are the best ways to proceed. Here are some suggestions and open issues:
– Provide social network web sites for research laboratories and other groups
– Let students build and share knowledge bases in courses that are extended each year the course is given
– Provide virtual mentoring for freshmen
– Complement the master thesis writing process with an open review process
– Evaluate and classify courses and course contents through social tagging
– Use collaborative writing in project assignments
– Review and publish all student project work